Columbus baseball takes care of Thomson, advances to second round

In Columbus’ first round doubleheader against Thomson Friday, the Blue Devils consistently made plays when they absolutely had to. As a result, Columbus is headed to the next round.

The Blue Devils took both games off the Bulldogs Friday to win the best-of-three series. Columbus took the first game off Thomson 5-4 thanks to a walk-off on a passed ball before completely dominating the second matchup. Columbus closed the series with a 16-0 victory, breaking its season-high mark for runs in a game.

The opening game proved the most contentious between the two teams.

After seven innings wasn’t enough, the game headed to extras. Columbus (20-11) threatened in the bottom of the eighth when Clayton Duncan singled to open the inning before Robbie Tillman did the same, leaving runners on first and second with one out. Columbus head coach Chad Mathis brought junior Caleb Bailey in to pinch run for Duncan, giving the Blue Devils two speedy players on the basepaths.

At this point, the game took a wild twist. Jonathan Brand flied out in the next at-bat for the second out, prompting Bailey to tag up and head to third base. After reaching third, the infielders for Thomson (14-11) tossed the ball back to second, believing Bailey had left the bag before the ball was caught. Bailey was initially ruled out by the umpire before he overturned his own call.

Trent Grantham then stepped to the plate, looking to extend his solid hitting on the day. Grantham, who was also Columbus’ starting pitcher, delivered two RBI singles in the earlier stages of the afternoon. As he settled in and waited on his pitch, the Thomson catcher mishandled a ball as it tumbled toward the backstop. Bailey scurried home from third and slid in safely, giving Columbus a 5-4 walk-off victory.

As nerve-wracking as the opening game was for both sides, the second meeting proved anything but.

YIKKITY. Gage Dempsey with a two-run home run to put Columbus up 2-0 pic.twitter.com/YNeuzLGT6Y

— lesports (@lesports) April 28, 2017

Gage Dempsey broke the 0-0 tie in the top of the third inning, smacking a ball over the wall in left field for a two-run home run. Duncan added to what Dempsey started, hitting an RBI single that brought Ben Schorr home safely. Will Ferrell singled in a runner to make it 4-0, then Tillman came all the way around on a triple followed by an error in the outfield.

By the beginning of the fourth, Columbus held a commanding 6-0 lead. The Blue Devils’ bats only heated up from there, tacking on 10 more in the top of the seventh. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, never mustered a response after the gut-punch end to Game 1.

Columbus’ hitters, which as a whole had an up-and-down regular season, delivered again and again in the two wins. By the close of the series, the Blue Devils had recorded 23 hits and 21 runs.

The Blue Devils’ starting pitchers handled their business as well. Grantham matched his solid hitting performance with a good day on the mound, throwing seven innings and 119 pitches and registering five strikeouts. Duncan helped successfully shut the door on Thomson in Game 2, throwing all seven innings while allowing six hits and no runs.

Columbus will play either Cartersville or Blessed Trinity to open the second round Thursday. The Blue Devils will be at home if Cartersville advances; they will play on the road if Blessed Trinity does instead.

This story was originally published April 28, 2017 at 7:45 PM with the headline "Columbus baseball takes care of Thomson, advances to second round."