Rivals Baylor and McCallie have faced off in high-stakes situations countless times over the years, and tonight their baseball teams will meet with a spot in the Division II-AA state semifinals on the line.
The decisive game in their best-of-three series comes after they split a doubleheader Wednesday at Baylor, with McCallie winning the opener 13-5 before Baylor bounced back for a 3-1 victory.
The Red Raiders (19-12) forced the third game as Gavin Roberson outdueled Blue Tornado ace Corbin Brooksbank. Roberson threw a three-hitter, striking out eight and walking none while giving up an unearned run.
"He's a senior, a four-year guy," Baylor coach Billy Berry said. "He's been in that situation plenty of times. I've said it before and I'll say it again: He's a bulldog, and he did it again tonight."
Roberson mixed his pitches well, with his breaking ball keeping the McCallie hitters off balance.
Brooksbank, coming off a no-hitter last Saturday, gave up only one hit through six innings while striking out eight. His only noticeable mistake was a hanging slider Baylor first baseman Teddy Lepcio hit over the left-center-field fence for a two-run homer in the fourth.
"When you're facing a guy like Brooksbank, one of the best pitchers in the league," Berry said, "it takes guys stepping up and getting big hits."
Brooksbank issued six walks, and Blue Tornado pitchers walked nine total. But McCallie coach Tim Costo wasn't concerned about the number of free passes.
"He was right around the plate," Costo said. "He was around the dish all game, but the calls just didn't go our way. We have to tip our caps to Roberson. He threw the ball really, really well."
The opener was a much different game. McCallie (19-14) got off to a great start, scoring six runs in the top of the first.
"I'm just so proud of these guys," Costo said. "I'm proud of the way they've handled themselves the past few weeks and how they came out here today and jumped out in front."
The Raiders had plenty of chances, loading the bases several times, but they stranded 12 runners in the game.
"I just told them that what happened in the first inning is done, and there's nothing we can do about it," Berry said. "We had chances. We left the bases loaded two or three different times. We were just chasing that one hit, and we couldn't find it."