RINGGOLD, Ga. — In a situation that called for experience, Ringgold High School baseball coach Drew Walker admits he was fortunate to have a group of seniors ready to respond.
Tied at one game each with playoff nemesis Columbus, and 3-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning of the deciding game of their GHSA Class AAA quarterfinal best-of-three series at Bill Womack Field, the Tigers were one out from letting consecutive scoring opportunities get away.
Instead, seniors Sam Crew and Brady Hermann answered with back-to-back RBI singles to key a four-run inning en route to a 7-5 win.
Ringgold (30-6) will host Savannah Christian in a doubleheader start to a best-of-three semifinal series Saturday.
“We finally got them!” Walker said after defeating the Blue Devils for the first time in four playoff series over the last 11 years. “We had failed a few times in key situations lately, including the inning before, but our seniors really stepped up in that fifth inning. That was huge, especially when they rallied in the next two innings.”