Though Monday’s regional semifinal games were held at Boyd Buchanan, the Providence Academy Knights of Johnson City, Tennessee played the role of the home team and bounced the Bucs by an 8-5 final on their home turf.
“These guys are excited,” said Providence head coach Jeff Reed. “We’ve never had a chance to play for anything and these guys are really excited. I hope they can step back and relax a little bit because the longer you go, the pressure kind of mounts on you,” said Reed.
In their first year under the TSSAA, the Knights proved they belong, packing powerful bats and stifling leather in their luggage for the trip. They ambushed the Bucs with a three-run first inning started by a pair of walks and an RBI single from Ronaldo Matti. The next batter, starting pitcher Tyner Simpson, added to his own run-support with a sacrifice fly, and a single to left by Drew Niebaur scored a third run to cap off the statement frame for the Knights.
Matti and Simpson finished with two hits apiece and Simpson led the way in run production with three RBIs on the evening.
Looking confident and comfortable hitting at their home field, the Bucs responded in the second. Boyd Buchanan brought seven runners to the plate and tied the game at three. A leadoff walk, a sacrifice bunt, and a line drive single by Jacob Hutchison scored the first Buccaneer run in a display of old-fashioned, fundamental baseball. The ensuing three batters followed that exact blueprint, walking, bunting, then hitting the ball hard, this time, too hard for the Providence infield to handle, resulting in a two-run error.
In the bottom of the third, the ball sounded different off of the Knights’ bats. The three outs came on hard-hit balls, but it was the pair of Providence long balls that sent a shrill ring vibrating through the stadium and across the Boyd Buchanan campus.
The inning started with a leadoff bomb from two-hole hitter Nathan Eisfelder who sent an 0-1 pitch soaring high and deep beyond the left field fence to put the Knights back in front. After Lucas Belcher was hit by a pitch, pitcher Tyner Simpson worked a favorable count and launched a two-run shot out to the same part of the field, this one a sizzling line drive. The early runs had come in threes and Providence was back out front, 6-3.
After Josh Owens entered to try to bring it home for Providence and freshman Carter Hinsley took over for Boyd Buchanan, defense from both sides stole the show.
In the fourth, Caleb Cross got a hold of a fastball and stroked it to deep right-center field where Buc center fielder Cooper Jones ran it down and snagged it as he crashed into the fence. Jones shared a high five with right fielder Xavier Embry, and while no one can say for sure that there was some sort of magical transfer of enchanted defensive powers, the very next batter hit a deep drive to right field that Embry went up and over the top of the wall to catch and end the inning. Supernatural or not, the Buccaneer outfield had kept their team in striking distance.
In the sixth, Cross returned the favor. After Owens fielded an Xavier Embry ground ball from the mound, he fired to Cross who scraped a cleat across the second base bag and slung it to first where Tine Bowman laid out to pick the ball off of the turf, all while keeping a toe on the bag for an inning-ending double-play.
Providence got some insurance in the sixth inning on a Lucas Belcher two-run single up the middle that stretched the lead to five heading into the final frame.
“The key inning was in the bottom of the sixth,” said Reed. “We got two more runs, and in this game, you can never have enough. These kids battled,” said Reed.
Brodie Johnston and Cooper Jones drove in Buccaneer runs in a seventh-inning comeback attempt, but Josh Owens retired the side to seal the semifinal win for the Knights.
“Josh broke his hand three weeks ago,” said Reed. “He’s a tough kid… Josh is a sophomore and he’s going to be a very good player for us,” said Reed.
Providence will take on CAK Tuesday night in the finals and Boyd Buchanan will face Silverdale, who fell to CAK in the late game on Monday.
BOYD BUCHANAN 030 000 2 – 5
PROVIDENCE 303 002 x – 8
Gardenhire, Hinsley (4), and Hise; Simpson, Owens (4), and Matti.