ROME, Ga. — Mike Dunfee had a choice, leading by a run to start the bottom of the seventh inning with a state championship on the line.
Stick with struggling senior closer Jackson Scali or divert from what the veteran Gordon Lee High School baseball coach has done all season.
Ultimately, Dunfee stuck with his senior, who followed up a disastrous sixth inning with a clean seventh as the Trojans claimed their third championship since 2019 with 7-6 win over Pepperell in game two of Monday’s GHSA Class A Division I baseball championship series at AdventHealth Stadium.
Gordon Lee (39-3) rode the strong right arm of ace Aiden Goodwin and six combined hits from Brady Little and Peyton Groce to win game one, 5-2.
The dramatic ending, which culminated a postseason that saw the top-seeded Trojans nearly get eliminated in the first round, was an appropriate one for Dunfee and his close-knit group.
Gordon Lee vs. Pepperell on May 19, 2025
“We went from the first round where we lost game one and we were almost bounced and we just kept fighting,” Dunfee said. “I mean, we were almost bounced from the first round, but they just kept fighting.
“I will say this, when I say no-flinch, today is the definition of no-flinch. These are some gritty kids and I’m proud to be their coach and I love them all.”
Gordon Lee scored single runs in the first and second innings of game one, with Groce and Little knocking in runs. The Dragons (31-10) tied it on Tucker Glenn’s RBI single in the fourth with the aid of an error against Goodwin.
The Trojans went back ahead with two runs in the fifth when Little laced a two-run single to right. It would be more than enough for Goodwin, who allowed four hits and struck out seven in the complete-game win.
Pepperell led 2-1 in game two after three innings before the Trojans scored twice in the fourth and four more times in the fifth in an inning that included three hits, a walk, two hit batters and a costly error.
The Dragons scored a run in the fifth to get closer and, with Scali having entered the game, loaded the bases with no one out in the sixth. Tucker Glenn scored one run with a single and Cooper Middleton another after being hit with the bases loaded. Kaleb Davis then made it a one-run game with an RBI groundout before Scali ended the inning with a forceout.
After a quick top half of the seventh, Dunfee had to make his choice.
“He’s been our dude in the playoffs, so I stuck with him,” Dunfee said of Scali. “He wanted the ball and he’s probably tired and after that inning I’m like, was that a bad decision? But, he’s just a different dude and I love him to death, love them all.
“These kids were fearless. I’ve never seen a bunch of kids who just played the game like this. They never get down on themselves and they just play the game.”
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com.