CALEDONIA — While the Amory High School baseball roster lists Aubrey Gillentine as a sophomore, Saturday afternoon, he pitched well past that standing.
Gillentine pitched a two-hitter as Amory beat Caledonia 4-1 in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A playoffs.
The victory evened the best-of-three series at a game apiece. Late Saturday, Amory won 2-1 to clinch the series.
“I love pressure and I love pitching in one-run games,” Gillentine said. “That is when you are most excited. You know your teammates are counting on you to put up zeros for you to have any chance to win the game.”
Gillentine did just that.
Caledonia turned a walk, stolen base and RBI-single by Jorden Hollowell into the only score for the Confederates in the fourth inning.
The game was similar to the series opener Thursday when Caledonia held a 1-0 lead almost entirely through regulation, lost it but regrouped to win 2-1 in nine inning.
“This is the type of series you want to see in the playoffs,” Amory coach Chad Williams said. “You want both teams to pitch it that well. You want both teams to defend it that well. You just have to put a few hits together.”
Amory finally did that with three runs on five base hits in the sixth inning. The inning was helped along by a huge break.
On a wet track, Caledonia center fielder Will Burton slipped trying to make a catch on the second batter of the sixth inning. Burton would most likely have made the catch if it he does not lose his footing. Already, the Caledonia outfielder duo of Burton and Beau Bates had made two difficult catches preventing extra-base hits.
“We knew it was our time,” Amory senior Stan Ostrowski said. “We never get down because we know baseball is a game full of funny bounces. We just want to win the final game. That has been our motto all season. At the very end, when all is said and done we want to win the final game. ”
Caledonia senior Zach O’Neal had been tremendous on the mound, allowing one hit through five innings. O’Neal even got a strikeout to start the sixth inning and the Feds appeared well on their way.
Ryan Morgan reached on the break to center. Drake Wallace followed with a clean base hit to right field. A fielder’s choice then netted the second out.
Gillentine then helped his own cause with a game-tying single and Ostrowski pushed his team over the top with an RBI-single. The Panthers scored one more that inning and tacked on an insurance score in the seventh inning.
“We felt like we ran out of time Thursday night,” Ostrowski said. “There was no way we were going to let Aubrey down when he pitched like that. He was incredible.”
n In Class 1A, Hamilton lost at Pine Grove, 4-0. The teams play game two at 6 p.m. Monday in Hamilton.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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