Tindell rebounded by
The Gatewood Gators baseball team knocked off the Edmund Burke Academy Spartans in game one of the quarterfinals of the GISA state baseball tournament on May 2, but Edmund Burke didn’t want to play a second game on Friday. Since Gatewood’s prom was Saturday, the two remaining games in the best of three series were postponed to Monday.
And then the rains came.
The Gators concluded the quarterfinals on May 3, which falls beyond The Messenger news deadline. Look for details of the deciding games next week.
The Gators had received a first round bye and were seeded fourth in the playoff.
Edmund Burke Academy, the No. 5 seed routed Crisp Academy, seeded 12th, in the first round of the GISA baseball tournament by final scores o 15-1 and 13-3 on April 25.
The Spartans came into first the game against Gatewood with a record of 13-5 (10-3 in region play).
Gatewood won the first game 3-1 with solid pitching and several fine defensive plays. Freshman Walker Roberts went the distance for the Gators, striking out five and giving up only three hits.
His mound opponent did nearly as well. Braydon Tindell threw six solid innings for the Spartans and gave up but five hits himself. Tindell also had two hits in three trips to the plate, including a home run.
The Spartans went down in order in the first, and the Gators threatened to take the lead in the bottom half when Roberts walked, stole second and then went to the third on a passed ball. Trey Wiggins grounded out to short to end the threat.
The Spartans got a runner all the way to third in the second, but he went no further as Roberts struck out two hitters to end the inning.
Freshman Wilson Moore doubled to lead off the second for Gatewood, but he was stranded at third.
The play of the game occurred in the top of the third. With one out, Tindell doubled to right center. But the next Edmund Burke hitter Redd belted a frozen rope that appeared destined for the gap in right center, but freshman Ames Johnson leaped for it and mad the catch. He then flipped to the shortstop Gavin Fried to double up Tindell who probably thought the ball was headed for the gap as well.
Gatewood finally broke the deadlock in the bottom of the fifth. Tanner Johnson, yet another freshman, hit a leaf-off double, reached third on a wild pitch and scored on a hit by Ames Johnson. Ames Johnson then took second and third on passed balls. On the second passed ball, Roberts swung and missed but reached first on the error. Johnson was able to score on an error by the third baseman and Roberts advanced to second. Fried then singled and Roberts scored to put Gatewood up 3-0. striking out the next two Gatewood hitters.
He then homered to centerfield to put the Spartans on the board in the top of the sixth.
But Roberts buckled down and closed out the game for the Gators, which ended on another double play.
Gatewood had already beaten Edmund Burke twice during the regular season, routing the Spartans 10-0 on March 15, and squeaking by 5-4 back on April 7.