Baylor senior standout Amari Jefferson summed up perfectly what Thursday's 6 p.m. matchup between the host Red Raiders and McCallie will mean to both baseball programs.
After the archrivals split Wednesday's doubleheader to start their best-of-three series in the TSSAA Division II-AA quarterfinals, Jefferson's Red Raiders (23-6) and the Blue Tornado (26-13) will be battling to be one of the final four teams that advance to next week's Spring Fling state tournament in Murfreesboro.
"It's still baseball, but this is what you live for," said Jefferson, who went 5-for-5 with three home runs and seven RBIs and stole a base in the doubleheader, when Baylor won 8-4 in the opener and McCallie won 4-3 in the second game.
"Winner takes all. Baylor versus McCallie. What else could you ask for? If you can't get up for this game, I don't know what to tell you."
Jefferson homered in three consecutive at-bats, including his final two of the first game, when the Alabama football signee drove in five runs. His gaudy performance Wednesday upped his season stats to a .455 batting average with nine home runs and 22 extra-base hits, 45 RBIs, 36 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.
Despite trailing 3-0 in game two, McCallie stayed in range when junior ace Chris Moore settled down after giving up Jefferson's two-run homer in the top of the first inning.
The right-handed sidewinder went the distance with six strikeouts and just one walk, and the Blue Tornado were sparked at the plate by senior Zach Porter's two-run bomb in the third. It was the team-leading seventh home run and 50th and 51st RBIs this year for the star catcher, who totaled three hits in the doubleheader.
"I really didn't think I was even going to be able to play today. I was in bed all day yesterday with flu-like symptoms," said Moore, who picked up his eighth pitching win of the season and has 83 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings. "But I got an IV and a shot and started to feel a little bit better today. I wasn't feeling too good early on, but the adrenaline kicked in and helped me land the biggest win of the season.
"Going into tomorrow it is a whole new ballgame. Anyone can win it."
The Blue Tornado scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth on a sharply hit ground ball by Noah Wilson that slipped under the glove of Baylor's backup shortstop. Wilson, who homered in the opener, stole two bases in the second game. The winning run was set up by a full-count, two-out walk drawn by nine-hole hitter Briggs Martin, who moved into scoring position on a wild pitch.
Hayden Choate's RBI single with the bases loaded mad it 3-all in the sixth, while Jefferson threw a one-hop strike from center field to gun down the potential go-ahead run for McCallie.
The Red Raiders had senior ace Tomas Valincius improve to 8-0 on the mound in game one as the state Mr. Baseball finalist allowed three runs in five innings with five strikeouts. Baylor right fielder Chris Renegar made an outstanding diving catch in the victory, and he also contributed a double at the plate.
Now one more Baylor-McCallie showdown is in store, with the winner retaining DII-AA championship hopes this season but the loser forced to wait until next year.
"Going to Murfreesboro is a big deal," Jefferson said. "I want it for these young guys as much as I do the seniors. I want to go out on a high note with my guys."
McCallie players felt the same way.
"We will try and do whatever it takes to win," Moore said. "We want to get back to Murfreesboro and win a state title."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.