Published: May 08, 2008 11:23 pm         

Oak Hill stays alive

Tight, one-run games have become the norm in the Class AA Region 3, Section 1 tournament at Shady Spring. Oak Hill and Independence didn’t break that trend Thursday as the Red Devils eked out a 4-3 win to set up a championship rematch at 6 p.m. today with the Patriots.

“How many games have been one-run?” Oak Hill coach Chris Walls asked. “It’s interesting. This section is like this every year. That’s why I hate to get out of it next year.

“It was just good competition, good baseball. We executed. We played well and they played well. It just went our way. It was a great baseball game.”

Oak Hill’s Frankie McGraw and Aaron McComas combined to outduel the Patriots’ Richard Hampton and Douglas Poe on the mound in a game where every pitch counted.

McComas worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, striking out the final two batters he faced, to secure the win.

“McComas did a great job of coming in and throwing strikes,” Walls said. “It looked like the ball wasn’t going to go our way on that one bunt that was popped up. We had to get an out there and we didn’t. Everything was sitting in their corner. Then, Aaron just settled down and threw strikes and we got out of the inning.”

McComas came in for starter Frankie McGraw to open the final inning after McGraw held the Patriots to just three runs on eight hits and one walk, while striking out four.

“Frankie could only go six (innings) because he threw one yesterday,” Walls said. “That was the game plan. Frankie looked good. Frankie is the type of player that if he gets frustrated and gets a little angry, he comes back and plays well. That check-swing strikeout kinda got him fired up for the sixth and I thought he did well.”

Independence (17-9) got the seventh started when Trevor Gray laced a single to center field. Then, Hampton beat out a blooped bunt attempt. After Jon Hunt advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, McComas hit Jake Justice to load the bases. McComas settled down, though, and whiffed the next two batter to end the game.

“We had a chance there in the last inning,” Patriots coach Joe Goddard said. “That’s the way it goes. Their pitcher reared back and got out of it. That’s the way it happens sometimes.”

Oak Hill (29-3) struggled at the plate, scratching out its four runs on just five hits.

“We’ve been struggling at the plate,” Walls said. “All year long, we’ve been averaging six, seven, eight, sometimes 12 or 14 hits a game. This sectional tournament, we’ve not hit the ball. I think it’s just a matter of time. Our defense has played well. Pitching has been good all year. We just haven’t hit the ball. Hopefully, we’ll start hitting (today).”

Tyler Zimm scored the Devils’ first run in the bottom of the first inning. After singling to center, Zimm moved around the bases on a McGraw single and a Tyler Oliver grounder that forced McGraw at second base. McComas singled to left to bring Zimm home.

The Devils built their advantage to 3-0 in the third inning when Hampton hit both Rob Stephens and Oliver to keep Oak Hill alive in the inning. Stephens raced home on a wild pitch and Oliver advanced to third base before McComas brought him home with an infield hit.

Two errors in the fourth gave the Devils the deciding run as Marcellas McFarland raced home on a booted ball at second.

“We made some mistakes,” Goddard said. “But the first three innings, I didn’t think we went after it. I thought Frankie pitched a great ball game against us. He changed speeds, mixed his locations and everything else. It didn’t seem like we started off the game hitting-wise with the same approach that we had been. We’ve been improving on our hitting quite a bit.”

The Patriots got all three of their runs in the fourth inning. Justin Chandler walked and Jeremy Buchanan doubled before Kendrick Epling brought them home with a single to right. Gray knocked Epling in with a double, but McGraw would get Hampton to fly out to center to end the threat.



Oak Hill 4, Independence 3

I: 000 300 0 — 3 10 2

OH: 102 100 x — 4 5 1

I: Richard Hampton, Douglas Poe (3) and Jeremy Buchanan, OH: Frankie McGraw, Aaron McComas (7) and McComas, Jared Wolfe (7). WP — McGraw. LP — Poe. Hitting — I: Trevor Gray 3-3 (2b, rbi), Kendrick Epling 2-3 (2rbi, run), Buchanan (2b), Scott Combs (run), Justin Chandler (run), OH: Aaron McComas 2-3 (2rbi), Rob Stephens (run), Tyler Zimm (run), Tyler Oliver (run), Marcellas McFarland (run).

Records: I: 17-9; OH: 29-3.