Northside, Columbus, Brookstone, Calvary set to host first-round baseball games

Four area baseball teams on the Georgia side of the river will host playoff series’ this week, as Northside gets set to take on Starr’s Mill, Columbus faces McIntosh, Brookstone gets Calvary Day and Calvary Christian plays Young Americans.

While each of the four Columbus area teams are the higher seed of their matchups, each series poses a significant challenge. Northside faces a team that went 21-4 and still finished in fourth in the region. Columbus gets a team that went 18-7, but 10-2 in Region 4 to take a 3 seed.

Brookstone, the overall 8 seed in Class A-private, faces the 9 seed, Calvary Day, and Calvary Christian gets a team that can run.

Here’s a closer look at each of the matchups beginning Friday.

Northside vs. Starr’s Mill

Playing teams out of Region 4-5A in spring sports has proven a difficult nut to crack already this week. The Columbus High soccer teams split, with the boys dropping their game to Starr’s Mill and the girls beating Union Grove 1-0. Both opponents were 4 seeds.

That should give Northside an indication of what it’s up against in baseball. It’s much of the same.

The Panthers come into the playoffs at 21-4 overall. It’s rare that the lower-seeded team of a 1-4 matchup has the better record. In a league that is split into subregions, however, the second-best region record on one side of the standings — which could be as good as 9-3, shich as Starr’s Mill — often drops all the way to the last seed.

“Starr’s Mill presents us with a tough opponent in the first round,” Northside coach Dee Miller said. “(They) are solid all phases of the game. … We will need to continue to build upon the momentum that we have coming out of the regular season and continue to try to improve and play our best baseball.”

Northside is playing well, having come out at the top of the Region 1 standings for the first time ever. Taking two of three over the weekend, though, will be just the latest in a season full of challenges.

Columbus vs. McIntosh

When McIntosh lost two straight games to Northgate on March 21 and 23, it represented their only two losses in region play this season. In fact, the Chiefs have won 10 straight, dating back to March 23.

Again, though, in the subregional system, a 10-2 record is often enough to bump a team back to a road game. Such is the case for McIntosh, a team very capable of winning a first-round series over a higher-seeded team.

The good news for Columbus? It has plenty of experience and it has an ace arm it can rely on to get it a win to start out the series. Cason Greathouse has been as close to automatic all season as one can be. If Columbus can take advantage of having him on the mound in Game 1, likely facing McIntosh’s No. 1 arm as well, it would make the rest of the series go a lot more smoothly.

“We have done a good job down the stretch of commanding the strike zone,” coach Chad Mathis said. “Our pitchers have kept us in many ball games this season.”

Columbus will also rely on guys at the top of its order, like Jerrette Lee, Blake Hicks, Jack Copley and Greathouse, to catch fire and begin producing runs in bulk.

“We have stressed the importance of defense and executing at the plate, regardless of the situation, which basically hurt us two weeks ago during our region run,” Mathis added. He said he’s been impressed with the team’s leadership and mental focus during practice despite that setback in the region.

Brookstone vs. Calvary Day

Calvary Day is 15-7 and brings a lot of tradition into these playoffs. More than that, though, they have a couple of horses who can carry them through a three-game series.

Catcher Chris Bashlor is hitting at a .667 clip for the season — and, no, that isn’t a typo. He presents the toughest out in the team’s lineup, meaning that Brookstone will likely have to pitch around baserunners at least every couple of innings. The team also boasts a pitcher, Bryson Smeltzer, with a 7-3 record and 2.00 ERA.

Brookstone counters well, though. At 19-5, it is riding a seven-game win streak and have carried a hot stick over the course of that run. Drew Webb is batting .493 with 10 home runs, Preston Campbell .452 and three long balls, Sam Lowe is .408 with three homers and Trey Lingo .500 with four. On the mound, Culver Norred is 9-2 with a 2.43 ERA and Banks Massey is 7-0 with a .60.

On paper, it looks to be a pretty balanced matchup.

Calvary Christian vs. Young Americans

Calvary Christian is 22-6 overall and has won 12 of its past 13 games. The Knights are a team that finished runners-up for the state championship last season and are trying to get over the hump in these playoffs.

Young Americans poses a threat as a team that knows how to move its runners around. It has stolen 70 bases in just 12 games and plays small ball to keep things moving.

The Knights, meanwhile, are trying to get healthy after suffering a few injuries over the final couple of weeks of the regular season. Coach Steve Smith said the team will rely on some of the younger guys to step up and fill roles when called upon.

Overall, though, Calvary Christian still looks solid. Nine players on the offense are hitting at or above .365. Smith said that when the defense is clicking, they have been tough to beat. The six losses have come in games where they had a lapse on that side of the ball.

“One mistake can mean the difference in moving on or going home,” Smith said.

This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 1:34 PM with the headline "Northside, Columbus, Brookstone, Calvary set to host first-round baseball games."