Lassiter splits at South Paulding
May 10—DOUGLASVILLE — Lassiter's baseball team appeared to be down and out early in Game 2 of their Class AAAAAA state quarterfinal series against South Paulding on Monday.
The Trojans (27-10) had lost Game 1 9-2 and trailed 6-0 heading to the bottom of the third inning. That's when the team pulled together for a players only meeting in front of the dugout. Whatever they said in the huddle obviously worked.
"The kids did their own thing," Lassiter coach Kyle Rustay said. "They probably said let's start putting together quality at-bats and don't press. They started seeing the ball better and they got back in the game."
The Trojans answered with a four-run third, highlighted by a three-run home run by Nick Newton to cut the deficit to two. When Newton came up again the next inning, he hit a towering two-run homer to straight away center. The blast capped a five-run fourth inning that suddenly gave Lassiter a 9-6 lead. They would go on to win the game 10-7 to earn a split and force a Game 3 on Tuesday.
It is the third straight playoff series this postseason the Trojans have lost Game 1 and came back to win Game 2. They are trying to win a seventh straight true road playoff series and a fourth straight Game 3.
"We know what to expect in Game 3s," Rustay said.
Unfortunately, to advance to a state semifinal matchup against Allatoona this weekend, they will have to win it with bullpen game. Hayden Sottile, Lassiter's usual Game 3 pitcher, was forced into action early when No. 1 starter Reece Robertson left with an apparent elbow injury. While Rustay said the team is hoping for the best, Robertson could be seen with his arm in a sling shortly after leaving the game.
Sottile entered the game without the usual time to warm up as a starter, but quickly found his rhythm. He proceeded to pitch six innings, allowed seven hits, one unearned run and struck out five. Sottile's last two innings were his best, shutting down the Spartans on 13 pitches in the sixth and 11 in the seventh.
"He's a kid where the situation just doesn't matter," Rustay said. "I don't think his pulse rate ever gets over resting."
In addition to Newton's homers, Ryan Martin went 2-for-4 in Game 2 and drove in two, Rylam Lweallen was 2-for-3 with a double and Eric Brown added a double.
In Game 1, it was South Paulding which was double happy. The Spartans hit six including two each from Lawson Folds and Brendan Gates. However, the game was a pitchers duel between Lassiter's Trey Griffin and South Paulding's Cole Brewer through the first five innings.
The Spartans led 3-2 heading to the bottom of the sixth when they sent 10 men to the plate and scored six times. After a fly out to center to start the inning, South Paulding got seven straight hits to break the game open.
It was plenty of insurance for Brewer, who pitched a complete game, allowed only three hits, one earned run and struck out three.
