The Indians found themselves in a very tough situation in the final innings of Monday’s first-round showdown with
# 16 Franklin County at the 11th Region Tournament.
# 16 Franklin County at the 11th Region Tournament.
Trailing by two runs, #7 Madison Central had just six outs left to put together a late comeback against one of the better pitchers in the region. “We stayed with the plan,” Central coach Steve Roof said. “This team believes. They love the challenge and I think this team expected (to rally). Even in the seventh inning, we expected to get those runs across.” The Indians got one run in the sixth, then used four-straight singles to score a pair of runs in the seventh and claim an improbable 3-2 win over the Flyers at Franklin County High School. Catcher Isaac Smith delivered the game-winning hit — a single to right — which scored senior Jon McQuarter. With the win, Central advances to the 11th Region Tournament semifinals to face Lexington Christian Academy (8 p.m. today). “It’s been a while,” McQuarter said of Central’s first region tournament victory since 2007. “I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to keep playing.” The Indians had just five hits through the first five innings against Franklin County ace Sean Thompson. The Flyers scored twice in the third inning off Central starter Logan Smith and were able to hold on to that lead by using a couple of good defensive plays to kill a pair of would-be rallies. In the sixth, Cole Metcalfe walked and after a single by Austin Hunt, he scored on a error. “It took us a while to adjust to the speed,” Roof said of Thompson, a hard-throwing right-hander. “But, I loved our approach. We took it to the opposite field and I thought we had good at-bats the entire game. There were just a lot of balls hit right at guys.” In the seventh inning, the bottom of the Central lineup started the winning rally. Alex Dapkus doubled to left field, then McQuarter delivered a game-tying single. “The coaches prepared us pretty well by throwing fast batting practice,” McQuarter said. “We were ready.” Senior Zach Harmon followed with a single and then Isaac Smith came up with the game-winning hit. “He was pitching (on the outside corner) all game. So, that’s where I was trying to go all game,” said Isaac Smith, who had flown out to right field in his other three at-bats against Thompson. “I finally got one down.” Logan Smith allowed eight hits in six innings and walked just one while striking out two. “He threw a lot of strikes,” Roof said of Logan Smith. “He did his job.” Harmon pitched the seventh, retiring all three batters he faced, including two strikeouts. Central faced Lexington Christian Academy once during the regular season, falling 5-4 on May 13 in Lexington. Nathan Hutchinson, Richmond Register
