Lexington baseball wins another playoff thriller to earn spot in state championship
Coach Brian Hucks continues to be amazed by his Lexington baseball team.
In a year of come-from-behind and close victories, the Wildcats pulled out another one Wednesday night. After blowing a two-run lead, Lexington scored three runs in the sixth, two coming on Lincoln Hill’s two-run homer, to lift the Wildcats past Dorman, 5-2, in the Class 5A Upper State championship.
With the win, Lexington advances to the state championship series. The Wildcats will host the winner of Summerville/Ashley Ridge in Game 1 of the state championship on Saturday. Ashley Ridge scored two runs in the top of the seventh and defeated Summerville, 7-6, on Wednesday to force a deciding game on Thursday.
It is Lexington’s 13th state championship appearance and first since winning it all in a memorable series with Blythewood back in 2013. The Wildcats will be looking for the program’s seventh state championship.
“They just never flinch and that is a sign of a group of winners,” Hucks said. “Every time they face adversity, they answer back. We talk about being a counter-punch team. They punched hard and tied it up. Then, we answered back. And if you can answer back right then, you can take over the game. That’s what we did right there.”
After the game, Hucks gathered his teat behind the plate and praised them for their resilience and toughness this season. Lexington had won three straight one-run playoff games heading into Wednesday’s game and have been one of the hottest teams in the state the last six weeks.
The Wildcats have won 17 of their last 18 eight games.
“That last game of the River Bluff series, I thought, had a chance to spring us through,” Hucks said. “That was a marathon game, … From that point on, we haven’t looked back and we have been supremely confident.”
The game took more than five hours to play and was delayed three times for more than two hours because lightning was spotted in the area. It never rained hard and finally resumed around 9 p.m.
Lexington was leading 2-0 at the time of the final delay. Ryder Kellis got Lexington going with a solo homer to left in the second inning to make it 1-0. The Wildcats made it 2-0 on Brayden Jeffcoat’s RBI double with two outs in the third.
The Wildcats had chances to extend the lead but couldn’t capitalize. The Cavaliers responded by scoring two runs in the top of the sixth. Colton Earnhardt had an RBI single and Aaron Sturgill’s sacrifice fly made it 2-2.
But the Wildcats didn’t lose their composure and were up to the task in the bottom of the sixth inning. Tradd Burton gave Lexington a 3-2 lead on a sacrifice fly and then Hill belted a two-run homer to left field to put the Wildcats up 5-2.
“I was sitting fastball and I got it right down the middle,” Hill said. “It was obviously a great moment. But I am really looking forward to the championship and finishing the job. We still have two more games to win.”
Will Burgess led Lexington with three hits and Kellis was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Wally Bledsoe got the win relief for Lexington. Jackson Burton pitched the seventh to pick up the save.
This story was originally published May 15, 2024 at 11:01 PM.
