Tribe Forces Second Game, But Falls to Brentwood in Final Four
by STEVE WILMOTH
TriCitiesSports.com
May 25, 2017
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – From 0-4 to the Final Four.
The Dobyns-Bennett 2017 baseball season that began so inauspiciously just over two months ago with four losses in the Grand Slam Challenge, including three at Siegel High School, ended just short of a berth in the Class AAA State Championship on the same field Thursday evening.
Dobyns-Bennett rallied to top Brentwood, 6-4, in the first game of the day, forcing a second contest that saw the Bruins jump to 4-1 first-inning lead and hold off the Indians for 5-3 victory.
The win lands Brentwood (29-11) in tonight’s state title contest against Stewarts Creek, who beat Jefferson County twice on Thursday at Oakland High School.
The 2017 season ends for Dobyns-Bennett at 31-13, but the campaign included conference, district and regional titles as well as a final four finish for the first time since 1996.
“What these guys did have starting out 0-4 right here on this field and then finish in the final four, that’s just an outstanding job,” said D-B coach Ryan Wagner. “I’m very proud of them.”
The Indians played from behind all day. Brentwood led the opening game 1-0 after one inning, 2-1 after three and 3-1 midway through the fourth.
Dobyns-Bennett worked off a lead-off double from Kellen Glasscock to tie the game in the fifth. Logan Hullett’s bunt attempt was popped in front of the plate and fell for a single when Bruin starter Patrick Queener and catcher Kaden Dreier collided between the mound and the plate.
Kimbril’s sacrifice bunt moved both into scoring position with Glasscock scoring on Quentin Polinski’s line drive single to right. Parker Hill beautifully executed a safety squeeze to score courtesy runner Cannon Ferrell with the tying run.
But Brentwood forged another one-run lead in the top of the fifth.
With the season hanging in the balance, the lower part of the Tribe batting order again got things started in the bottom of the sixth.
Hullette worked Queener for a walk and moved to second on another Kimbril sacrifice. Polinski followed a second sharp single to right and with two outs Evan Mahaffey connected on a 2-0 fastball from Bruin reliever Connor Smith for a towering three-run homer to left-center to give the Indians their first lead at 6-4.
“That’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had on a baseball field and it couldn’t have come a better time,” said Mahaffey. “I knew it was gone as soon as soon as I hit it. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better or bigger hit.”
Jeremiah Ball allowed a lead-off double in the bottom of the seventh and then got a brilliant diving catch from Isaac Whitehead at second for the first out. After a walk, Polinski recorded out number two in short center, but a single by Tyler Shelton loaded the bases for the Bruins.
Ball however, coaxed Mason Keidel, who hit a grand slam on Wednesday to beat Blackman, into a deep fly to right for the final out. Ball (3-3) earned the win in relief of Matt Taylor.
“Matt didn’t have his best stuff, but toughed it out and gave us a chance,” added Wagner. “Jeremiah came in and did another outstanding job.”
The Indians seemed to carry the momentum into the second game, quickly grabbing a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Daniel Starnes’ RBI-double.
But Brentwood put together a resounding response in the bottom half. Jackson Pope hit a 1-2 Max Everett pitch for a bloop single to right-center and Carson Shacklett followed with a single to left center just over the leaping Hill at short.
Dreier hit a triple to right-center that Polinski just missed with a diving effort, scoring both runners to put Brentwood ahead. Luke Reidy then blasted a two-run homer to right center for a 4-1 Bruin advantage.
Dobyns-Bennett got within a pair of runs twice. Glasscock singled and scored on two Brentwood errors in the second. After the Bruins plated an unearned run in the bottom of the second, the Indians wouldn’t score again until the fifth when Mahaffey and Phillips both doubled.
“That first game we kind of grinded things out and made some things happen with the way we like to play and then Evan hits the big home run,” noted Wagner. “The second game, I thought we had the momentum, but getting behind three runs, it’s harder to play for one or two runs the deeper you go in the game. We had some opportunities, but just weren’t able to come through when we needed to.”
Ball also relieved in the second game, taking over for Everett with one out in the second and going the rest of the way. In the two games combined, Ball worked seven shutout innings.
Polinski singled three times in the first game and walked twice in the second. Mahaffey homered, doubled, scored three times and drove in three on the day.
“We went through a lot of trials at the beginning of the season, but we came right back to where we started and were able to finish our season here,” Mahaffey said. “That says a lot about our character and I’m pretty proud.”
Starnes notched three hits on the day to finish 6-for-14 in the state tournament. Phillips and Glassock hit safely in both games and Glasscock scored three times. Hullette reached on four of six trips in the two games with a pair of singles, a double and a walk. Kimbril produced two well-executed sacrifice bunts.
“The bottom of our order put pressure on them all day,” noted Wagner. “They played headsy all day.
“We wanted to win this thing. That’s why we came down here. It’s disappointing that we didn’t but there are worse things. I can’t be more proud of my seniors.”
Field general and senior backstop Hullette also put the Tribe season in perspective.
“This season mean everything to me,” said an emotional Hullette. “Everybody bought in and everybody just played for each other and our school. Thank you to the players and coaches and our families and thank-you to God for the opportunity.”
Dobyns-Bennett 6, Brentwood 4 – Game 1
Brentwood | 101 | 110 | 0 | -- | 4 | 6 | 1 |
Dobyns-Bennett | 010 | 203 | x | -- | 6 | 7 | 3 |
Brentwood – Patrick Queener, Connor Smith (6) and Kaden Dreier. Dobyns-Bennett – Matt Taylor, Jeremiah Ball (5) and Logan Hullette. W – Jeremiah Ball 3-3, L – Patrick Queener. 2B – Brentwood 3 (Carson Shachklett, Luke Reidy, Tyler Shelton); Dobyns-Bennett 1 (Kellen Glasscock). HR – Evan Mahaffey, Dobyns-Bennett (two on in 6th). RBI – Brentwood 3 (Kaden Driere 2, Luke Reidy); Dobyns-Bennett 5 (Evan Mahaffey 3, Quentin Polinski, Parker Hill). SAC – Brentwood 2 (Kaden Dreier, Tyler Shelton); Dobyns-Bennett 2 (Chaz Kimbril 2). SB – Brentwood 5 (Tom Slaight 3, Joe Bayless 2); Dobyns-Bennett 3 (Quentin Polinski, Cannon Ferrell, Kellen Glasscock). CS – Brentwood 1 (Luke Reidy). DP – Brentwood 1. LOB – Brentwood 10, Dobyns-Bennett 7.
Brentwood 5, Dobyns-Bennett 3 – Game 2
Dobyns-Bennett | 110 | 010 | 0 | -- | 3 | 7 | 2 |
Brentwood | 410 | 000 | x | -- | 5 | 7 | 3 |
Dobyns-Bennett – Max Everett, Jeremiah Ball (2) and Logan Hullette. Brentwood – Luke Reidy, Connor Smith (6) and Kaden Dreier. W – Luke Reidy, L – Max Everett 4-1, S – Connor Smith. 2B – Dobyns-Bennett 4 (Daniel Starnes, Evan Mahaffey, Ivan Phillips, Logan Hullette); Brentwood 1 (Carson Shacklett). 3B – Brentwood 1 (Kaden Dreier). HR – Luke Reidy, Brentwood (one on in 1st). RBI – Dobyns-Bennett 2 (Daniel Starnes, Ivan Phillips); Brentwood 4 (Kaden Dreier 2, Luke Reidy 2). SAC – Brentwood 1 (Harry Green). SB – Dobyns-Bennett 2 (Kellen Glasscock, Cannon Ferrell); Brentwood 4 (Jackson Pope, Carson Shacklett, Tom Slaight, Jacob Scott). DP – Brentwood 1. LOB – Dobyns-Bennett 8, Brentwood 10.