CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – There are two traits that all teams wish to possess in the postseason of their respected sport. Poise and resiliency.
Clarksville High baseball exemplified each Monday at home against Mt. Juliet in the Region 5-AAA semifinals after taking down the Golden Bears 3-1 in nine innings.
“It’s unreal,” said Clarksville baseball coach Brian Hetland. “They’ve done it all year. I mean that’s a really good baseball team. They may have eight losses coming into this game, but their league is incredible. … We handled the baseball. We didn’t panic in rundowns, we executed routine plays and that’s why we’re 31-4.”
In the bottom of the seventh inning after District 10-AAA Player of the Year Garrison Goins worked a lead-off walk, in stepped Vanderbilt commit Kyle Magrans to the batter’s box.
Three pitches later while facing a 1-2 count, Magrans then crushed a no-doubt, walk-off home run to send the Wildcats to the Region 5-AAA championship.
FINAL@ClkHighBaseball 3@MJbearsbaseball 1
After wearing an 0-for-3 day with three strikeouts, @kylemagrans walks it off to send the Wildcats to the Region 5-AAA championship. Can’t keep a good man down long. pic.twitter.com/nSWRLNlSEE
— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) May 18, 2021
“It was awesome,” Magrans said. “It was actually a lot like the Rossview game when I ended that one. Just like today, I was looking silly at the plate. I got down 0-2 and had to fight one off. It just so happened he left one up and I got a good swing on it.”
Magrans was as equally clutch on the mound when he entered the game with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the ninth inning.
The hard-throwing righty struggled with his command to begin his last start, but was dialed in during his relief appearance on Monday.
“We felt like our two best guys were Brody (Lanham) and Kyle all year,” Hetland said. “Are you going to go down in the fire without throwing your best guys? That guy is a good fastball hitter on an average fastball, but Kyle has an above average fastball, so we felt like we had to do it.”
Magrans fired three straight pitches by the Golden Bear batter to get out of the jam.
Middle of the 9th@VandyBoys’s commit @kylemagrans holds the door, recording the inning-ending strikeout on three straight pitches for @ClkHighBaseball. pic.twitter.com/eT0ScD86fX
— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) May 18, 2021
“In my last outing, I struggled when I first came out and it was a big environment like it was tonight,” Magrans said. “I had that in the back of my mind a little bit, but Brody Lanham pitched a great game today, which gave me more confidence up there. He’s one of my best buddies and I told him when I got up there, ‘Whatever I gotta do, I’m not letting these runs get on you’.”
The top of the eighth inning was a rollercoaster that saw three Mt. Juliet runners all called out on the base paths. After putting two runners into scoring position with one out in the frame, the Golden bears failed to capitalize.
Middle of the 8th
A wild top of the inning that sees @ClkHighBaseball pull a Houdini act, catching three Golden Bears off base for outs. Mt. Juliet had runners on second and third with one down in the frame and couldn’t capitalize. pic.twitter.com/5iAdHMuM0w— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) May 18, 2021
“How did we get out of that?” Hetland said. “I still don’t know, but it was great execution. They tried to squeeze right there, but heads up by Brody to make sure that he saw that guy back to create the run down. He kept his composure and how we got out of that is just unbelievable.”
The Wildcats put on a clinic defensively. Third baseman Walker Smith had four putouts of his own while catcher Grayson Proctor threw out two Mt. Juliet runners while trying to steal.
Middle of the 2nd
Walker Smith fields it clean and makes the throw to first base to end the inning and keep the Golden Bears off the board. pic.twitter.com/JbX2MFIheg— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) May 18, 2021
“They were our unsung heroes tonight,” Hetland said. “That’s why we are where we are because we can play defense. Yeah we can hit a little bit and pitch, but we can really play defense.”
Second baseman Cade Ross also applied three swift tags that helped earned outs for the Wildcats in the game.
Middle of the 6th@ClkHighBaseball gets out of the inning, as the Golden Bear baserunner is tagged out by who else? @CadeRoss6. pic.twitter.com/EuIrb8oj0B
— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) May 18, 2021
Game summary
After Lanham, the District 10-AAA Pitcher of the Year, worked a clean top of the first inning, CHS was able to scratch across their first run of the game in the bottom half.
After reaching on an E6, Goins swiped second and third base to put the Wildcats in business.
End of the 1st@ClkHighBaseball 1@MJbearsbaseball 0@garrison_goins swiped second and then third base to get into scoring position. pic.twitter.com/25Vqg7eIs9
— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) May 18, 2021
Senior Ethan Baggett later plated Goins on an RBI single to give Clarksville an early 1-0 lead.
Bottom of the 1st@ethanbaggett24 drives in @garrison_goins to give @ClkHighBaseball an early 1-0 lead with two outs in the inning. pic.twitter.com/YCyuDZM5ZE
— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) May 18, 2021
It was a pitcher’s duel for most of the contest, as both starters appeared to get stronger as the game went along.
Mt. Juliet tied the game up in the top of the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly from Seth Stevens.
Top of the 6th
After a lead-off single from Anthony Buckland, his pinch runner advanced all the way to third base on a pick-off attempt from Lanham. @MJbearsbaseball then tied the game up at 1-1 on this sacrifice fly from Seth Stevens. pic.twitter.com/74COO34HEJ— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) May 18, 2021
After Golden Bear catcher Anthony Buckland had a base hit to start the frame, his pinch runner was able to reach third base on a pick-off attempt that was off the mark.
Mt. Juliet starting pitcher Austin Hunley was dominant in stretches against Clarksville, keeping the Wildcat lineup off-balance.
End of the 6th@ClkHighBaseball 1@MJbearsbaseball 1
Hunley K’s Kyle Magrans for the third time today, but none bigger than this one. pic.twitter.com/Ii3pjrm2Ii
— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) May 18, 2021
“That first pitcher probably had one of the best sliders I’ve ever seen,” Magrans said. “I knew it was coming and still couldn’t hit it, so props to him.”
The UT commit completed eight innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits while striking out eight Wildcats. He was pulled after throwing a total of 98 pitches.
Reliever Logan Baskin was hit with the loss after issuing a free pass and giving up the walk-off homer.
Key performers
Lanham pitched 8 2/3 innings, allowing one unearned run on five hits while striking out nine batters.
Goins finished 1-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and two stolen bases while Magrans went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs for the Wildcats.
Justin Lee reached base twice for the Golden Bears.
Up next
Clarksville (31-4) will travel to Beech Wednesday, May 18 with the Region 5-AAA championship on the line.
“Beech is a good team,” Hetland said. “They have tremendous pitching. We haven’t played them yet, but we saw them the other night when they played Mt. Juliet. Rossview has played them a couple of times. We’ll get some reports and get more information on them.
“The key is we have Friday now. That’s the game that gets you to the next place. Wednesday in baseball is nothing like it is in basketball. Neither team is going to throw their best pitching because their best pitching threw tonight. Kyle will start on Friday and that’s where we’re at.”