The junior right-hander struck out five of the final six batters, leading Madison Central (27-7) to a 6-2 win over Henry Clay (18-16) in the semifinals of the 11th Region Tournament at Great Crossing High School. The Indians move into the finals for the fifth time in the past eight seasons. They will face Sayre (20-9) at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Georgetown. Hayden Robbins was 3-for-4 and scored twice for Central. Poynter had three RBI and earned the complete-game victory, allowing five hits and three walks with 12 strikeouts.
"Bradley Poynter said, 'We don't need Matt Johns tonight,'" Madison Central coach Steve Roof said with a laugh. Poynter had to work out of trouble in the middle innings, though. The Blue Devils got two runs in the third and left a pair of runners on in the fourth. The junior recovered and retired the last 12 batters he faced, striking out the side in the sixth.
"I'm known for getting stronger as the game goes on," Poynter said. "I was honestly just really fired up. I was ready to go. I knew it would come down to the last couple of innings — and that's when you need to be your best." The Indians took a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-run double by Poynter. The Indians scored three more times in the third, highlighted by a two-run single by Matthew Bryan. Daniel Bauer put Central up by four runs in the fourth when he singled and scored on an error.
The Indians finished with just six hits off three Henry Clay pitchers. Keith Stewart scored twice as Central pushed their winning streak to seven games. Sayre moved into the title game with a 2-1 win over Lafayette on Tuesday in Georgetown. The Indians fell to the Spartans, 5-4, in the season opener for both teams on March 17 in Lexington.
"Last year, we didn't get the outcome we wanted," Robbins said of losing to Lafayette in the 11th Region title game. "A lot of people counted us out in the beginning of the season. We are just real fired up to get back to the regional final. It feels great." By: Nathan Hutchinson
"Bradley Poynter said, 'We don't need Matt Johns tonight,'" Madison Central coach Steve Roof said with a laugh. Poynter had to work out of trouble in the middle innings, though. The Blue Devils got two runs in the third and left a pair of runners on in the fourth. The junior recovered and retired the last 12 batters he faced, striking out the side in the sixth.
"I'm known for getting stronger as the game goes on," Poynter said. "I was honestly just really fired up. I was ready to go. I knew it would come down to the last couple of innings — and that's when you need to be your best." The Indians took a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-run double by Poynter. The Indians scored three more times in the third, highlighted by a two-run single by Matthew Bryan. Daniel Bauer put Central up by four runs in the fourth when he singled and scored on an error.
The Indians finished with just six hits off three Henry Clay pitchers. Keith Stewart scored twice as Central pushed their winning streak to seven games. Sayre moved into the title game with a 2-1 win over Lafayette on Tuesday in Georgetown. The Indians fell to the Spartans, 5-4, in the season opener for both teams on March 17 in Lexington.
"Last year, we didn't get the outcome we wanted," Robbins said of losing to Lafayette in the 11th Region title game. "A lot of people counted us out in the beginning of the season. We are just real fired up to get back to the regional final. It feels great." By: Nathan Hutchinson
Photos by: Joshua Moore