WEST POINT — “It’s go time” for the Oak Hill Academy baseball team.
That saying coined by seniors Jacob Shempert and Clay Henley is appropriate considering the Raiders came up with a dramatic victory Friday afternoon to keep their season alive.
Shempert pitched a scoreless inning of relief to get his second win of the series, while Henley had the game-winning infield single in the bottom of the seventh to lift Oak Hill Academy to a 5-4 victory against Central Hinds Academy to win their best-of-three series Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AA North playoff series.
With the win, Oak Hill Academy (17-7) advances to the face Marshall Academy in another best-of-three series that will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday in West Point.
“It was a big win,” Oak Hill Academy coach Marion Bratton said. “It is a lot of hard work and doing the little things. The little things we work on all year paid off.”
Shempert, the third pitcher of the day for the Raiders, pitched a scoreless seventh after throwing a complete game Tuesday in a 5-1 victory in game one. He then received his fourth intentional walk of the day to lead off the bottom half of the inning. Jeb Stevens (two hits) laid down a sacrifice bunt and Shempert capitalized on the fact that Central Hinds’ bunt coverage left an opening at third base by sliding in safely ahead of the return throw from first base.
With two outs, Henley, who had two hits and two RBIs, bounced a ball over the pitcher’s head and up the middle. He beat the throw to first base to score Shempert and set off the celebration.
Bratton said the victory was especially sweet because Shempert, a transfer from Houston High School, and Henley, a senior who has been with the program since the seventh grade, played key roles.
“When Jacob came in, Clay was the first person I introduced him to,” Bratton said. “They took a liking to each other and the whole atmosphere of the team changed immediately.”
Tres Turner went the first 3 2/3 innings for the Raiders. He allowed four hits and two earned runs and walked one. Henley came on in relief and pitched the next 2 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and two runs. He walked one and struck out three. He also pitched out of a bases-loaded jam with minimal damage.
That set the stage for Shempert, who Bratton said had about an 80-pitch outing Tuesday. He said he considered staying with Henley in the seventh, but figured with the top of his order coming up in the bottom half of the inning he would “roll the dice” and bring on his No. 1 pitcher.
“It was a spur of the moment decision,” Bratton said.
Henley might have influenced the decision by saying, “Why wait for a third game? Let’s finish it now.”
Thanks to solid execution and recognition by Shempert on the bases, Oak Hill Academy did just what Henley wanted.
“I knew they probably would walk him. I knew Jeb was an outstanding bunter and it just so happened they put on their bunt defense and no one covered third,” Bratton said. “He picked me up (coaching at third base) and he never slowed down and slid to the outside of the base.”
Henley did the rest by heeding Bratton’s preachings and putting the ball on the ground. Bratton said he then saw something from his senior he had never seen.
“That is probably the fastest he has ever ran to first base,” Bratton said. “He hit the 45-foot mark and then hit the propulsion and went head first and beat it. That is the way we have been playing all year: Hard. Shempert has taught them to play hard by leading by example.”
Bratton anticipates a tough playoff series in the next round, but he is pleased how much his team has grown this season and is looking forward to seeing how it reacts to the challenge.
“We made a couple of errors (Friday), but we didn’t give up,” Bratton said. “They’re playing harder. (Turner) early in the season gave up grand slam to give us our first conference loss and then he kept going and working and working and working and competing and competing and he played really good in our last two conference games when we beat Winston and Canton. He didn’t have his best stuff, but he gave us four innings and kept us in the ballgame. I don’t know if he could have done that early in the season. He picked that up from Shempert. (Shempert) is really not a pitcher. He is just the best athlete I have. Being so versatile, he can play anywhere.
“I am real proud of the guys. Early in the season we would have folded up, but we didn’t. We battled.”
Conner Baird added two singles and two RBIs, and Curt Huffman had a single and an RBI.
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