How Savannah Christian baseball team sees tough loss as a springboard to success next year
Savannah Christian's baseball season ended on a disappointing note Wednesday as Fellowship Christian beat the Raiders 6-0 for the second game in a row to take the GHSA Class A Private quarterfinal matchup two games to one.
But SCPS Coach Matt Oglesby said he was happy with how his young players developed into a talented team as the season progressed. And with just two seniors graduating, the future is looking bright for a team that finished with a 27-9 record.
The Raiders closed out the first game in dramatic fashion as junior Josh Gates was clutch in the bottom of the sixth inning with a two-run single to tie the game at 3-3. Junior Daegan Strickland came up in the bottom of the seventh and smashed a deep shot to center for a walk-off double. Senior Ethan Macklin had a solid outing, giving up three runs in six innings, and Jayden White earned the win in relief.
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But Fellowship Christian's strong pitching staff came on strong to close out the series, allowing just seven hits and no runs in the next two games. Grant Hudson struck out 11 and allowed three hits in a complete-game performance in Game 2, then Wilson Long (7-0) lowered his ERA to 0.90 in fanning seven in 5 2/3 innings to win the deciding Game 3.
"They just outpitched us with everyone they rolled out in the last two games," SCPS coach Matt Oglesby said. "They were consistent in the strike zone and we didn't make the adjustments we needed to get the ball in play and put pressure on their defense."
Oglesby said the future is looking bright as the Raiders lose only two players — Macklin, a pitcher and left fielder, and third baseman Evan Lowrimore — to graduation.
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"We lost five seniors to graduation from last year's team so we didn't know what to expect coming into this season," Oglesby said. "But we had a ton of guys who stepped into new roles and did a great job. I think we overachieved, and this is something we can definitely build on for next year."
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Junior Ely Brown, who has committed to play at Mercer, had another excellent season at the plate and on the mound. He hit .481 with 15 doubles, four homers, 39 RBIs and 40 runs scored, while going 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA.
His classmate Daegan Strickland emerged as another two-way star as he closed out two playoff series with complete-game wins. He went 7-4 with a 2.71 ERA and hit .360 with 12 doubles, three homers and 41 RBIs.
Gates with .375 with three homers and 31 RBIs, while sophomore Jayden White hit .299 with four homers and 25 RBIs, while going 3-1 with a 3.92 ERA.
"This is one of the closest teams I've ever been on; everyone gets along," Gates said. "We're going to miss Ethan (Macklin) and Evan (Lowrimore); they meant a lot to the team with the example they set. But we've got a lot of talent coming back, and I think we can be even better next year."
Strickland said the team was disappointed with the outcome of the series but hopes to use it as motivation.
"We could have hit better in those last two games, but I like the way we battled. We were never out of it," Strickland said. "Things didn't go our way, but we've got a strong group coming back and I really think we have a shot to win it all next year."
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Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Christian baseball season comes to a close, 2023 look ahead
