Boyd-Buchanan senior Skyler Anderson understood the full meaning of his assignment Wednesday after as he took his home mound in the Region 3-A championship. Beyond winning the title in the fifth matchup of the season with rival Silverdale Academy, Anderson knew a victory guaranteed the Bucs one final home game as a host for the state sectionals.
Having addressed an issue with his mechanics during a bullpen session earlier in the week, Anderson was in top form on the mound and he was clutch at the plate as the Bucs punched their ticket for a home section with a five-inning, 10-0 region title triumph.
On Friday, Boyd-Buchanan (23-8) will host the Region 4 runner-up in the final between Jackson County and Goodpasture.
In tossing a one-hitter, Anderson kept a young Seahawks lineup off balance and in check. At the plate, Anderson was the master of the timely hit, breaking opening a five-run second with an RBI and then knocking home another with a double in the fifth.
"I had been struggling in my last couple of starts, and it was good for me to get back on the mound," said Anderson, who had thrown a bullpen session on Sunday to work on his delivery. "We wanted to stay at home. We had a big crowd here today and we'd like a bigger crowd here on Friday.
"I was just trying to make quality pitches and keep our team in the game," he added. "I knew our bats would heat up and we would be able to score some runs."
While Silverdale was 0-4 against the Bucs this season, the Seahawks (12-14) were riding the positive of road victory over District 6 champ South Pittsburg and they stranded a Bucs runner at third in the first inning. But a leadoff double by Brandon Willingham, who scored on Hunter Payne's fly ball that was lost in the sun, gave the Bucs an opening they seized and never relinquished.
"When you put a big spot on the board in any inning, that just gives you some breathing room, and you could tell it helped us relax," said Boyd-Buchanan coach Josh Rider, whose team edged Silverdale by a run in the District 5 tournament. "This is the fifth time we've played them, but that didn't make me feel any better.
"We've had success the first four times, but this is baseball. You've got come out ready to play every day," he added.
Austin Jackson, who propelled the Bucs to the title game with a dramatic walk-off grand slam to beat Marion County on Monday, smacked a ringing double in the fourth to plate two runs for an 8-0 lead. In the fifth, E.J. Matthews ended the contest with another two-run double for the 10-0 final.
"We did a good job of pulling one out at the end against Marion County," Rider said. "Monday's game actually helped us out. It made us realize that we're not invincible. And if we don't play well, and the other team does, we can get beat.
"We have a lot of respect for them," Rider said of the Seahawks. "They went over to South Pittsburg and won a game on Monday. That's impressive. That's a hard place to win, and that opened our eyes. Today was just anomaly. They are a much better team."
While Silverdale coach Jonathan Adcock was initially at a loss for words following the title game, he became optimistic as looked ahead to the opportunity his team -- with nearly 20 freshmen and sophomores -- has in the sectionals.
"We challenged them to see this as a learning opportunity and to look at the mistakes you made, grow from that and don't get down on yourself," said Adcock. "We've got an opportunity to keep going and to keep learning. We know these experiences will only help them as ballplayers."