Baseball Team Tops Sabres in Upper State Opener

As they traveled along toward what they hope will be a fourth straight state baseball championship, the Southside Christian Sabres -- through their first 29 games -- had outscored opponents by an average of seven runs per game and limited them to 2.4 runs per game.

And they had lost just once. (They also had a tie, having ended a game in Arden, North Carolina, against Christ School with the teams even after seven innings.)

Then, Thursday night, along came a band of determined and, yes, underdog St. Joseph's Knights, who came out slugging against Sabres starter CJ Aubuchon, kept on hitting, got great pitching and made big pitches and superb plays on defense when they needed them the most.

The result was a 10-7 victory that vaulted the fourth-seeded Knights into the winners' bracket of the Class 3A Upper State tournament.

Both St. Joe's (18-8) and third-seeded Southside Christian (27-2-1) will wait for the outcome of tonight's 6:30 game pitting No. 10 Powdersville at No. 1 Chapman. If Chapman wins, St. Joe's will play at Chapman and Powdersville will play at Southside Christian on Saturday. If Powdersville wins, St. Joe's will host Powdersville and Chapman will host Southside Christian.

The Knights got a gutsy and highly successful start from Brayden Royal, the first eighth-grader to pitch for the varsity in four years (since current senior JP Rambo), and they got three-run homers from Henry Dryden and Jackson Campbell, who ignited the home side with blasts in the second and fourth innings, respectively.
 

But this was truly a game in which everyone did their part, and everyone had to do their part in a white-knuckle affair that went down to the last pitch, on which Liam Okuley got Sabres star Carson Boleman to hit a grounder back to the mound with the bases loaded, and Okuley's throw to first baseman Rambo beat Boleman's race to the bag.

Boleman's two-run homer in the first inning put SCS on top, but St. Joe's answered with runs in its half of the second. The Knights scored one with the help of a Sabres error, and then Dryden sent a pitch over the center-field fence with two men on to make it 4-2.

The Knights never lost the lead.

They added to it in the fourth. After Dean Dryden and Henry Dryden both singled, Campbell crushed a pitch over the fence in left-center field. The Knights increased the margin to 8-2 on singles by John Eberstein and Cole Alt and a run-scoring single by Christian Timko.

Royal pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowing just two runs and three hits. He didn't strike out anybody and he walked four, but he shut down the Sabres after the first. He also picked off a runner to end the second.

Royal gave way to Quinn Walsh, who got a couple of flyouts to center fielder Ben McKay to strand two runners and end the fourth. The first was routine; the second was not.

Brady Savage drove a pitch to deep center field and sent McKay sprinting toward the fence. With his back toward the infield, he made an incredible over-the-shoulder catch that would have made Willie Mays proud and, more importantly, saved at least two runs.

St. Joe's scored a run in the top of the fifth. With two outs and nobody on, a single by Campbell and walks to Nolan Green and Eberstein loaded the bases. Pinch hitter Josh Lyons singled through the left side to drive in Campbell, and it was 9-2.

Walsh gave up a one-out homer to Tyler Boleman in the fifth. But he struck out Carson Boleman and then struck out Reeves Israel with two runners on to end the threat.

SCS scored to make it 9-4 in the sixth, and Okuley relieved Walsh. With two outs and the bases loaded, Carson Boleman hit a grounder to shortstop Henry Dryden. He flipped the ball to Dean Dryden, who made a great turn at second before firing to first baseman Rambo, who made an excellent scoop to complete the double play.

The Knights got that run back in the seventh, again with two outs. Green walked, and Eberstein hit one over the center fielder's head. He was thrown out trying for third, but Green scored easily and St. Joe's headed to the bottom of the seventh with a 10-4 lead.

The Sabres rallied, pulling to within 10-7, but Okuley hung tough and retired Carson Boleman when the game was on the line.

Two outs. Bases loaded. Three-run lead. A movie moment in real life -- and the reality is the Knights are deservedly in the winners' bracket.

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