Down by five heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, it looked like a season filled with tough losses and growing pains would continue for a young South Carroll baseball team.
However, with their backs against the wall, the Cavaliers responded. They tied the game in the seventh and Drake Hebron’s RBI single in the eighth clinched the 7-6 win Friday night in what was a highly anticipated matchup of last year’s Class 1A North Region I final.
“We were down and we didn’t give up,” South Carroll coach Brian Zawacki said. “We were resilient, kept at it and the guys came through when they had to.”
After three Pikesville runs in the top of the sixth put the Panthers up 6-1, RBIs from Hayden Rathmann and Brody Green cut the lead to three. The Cavaliers tied the game in the seventh with runs coming off a single from Hebron, a fielder’s choice by Greer and a costly Pikesville error on a ball put in play by Sammy Gapen.
The Cavaliers’ mental toughness was on display in the game’s most tense moments. Hitters often made adjustments, simply making contact to put the ball in play with two strikes.
“We work on that all the time,” Gapen said. “Shortening our swings when down in the count and doing whatever it takes to help the team.”
As South Carroll looked to complete the comeback in the bottom of the eighth, Gapen committed what some consider a cardinal sin in baseball — bunting with two strikes. But it worked out in the Cavaliers’ favor.
“It was the first time in my baseball career I saw that,” Hebron said with a smile on his face. “But he did what he needed to do to help this team win. He’s a young player with a lot of courage.”
Gapen’s bunt set the table for Hebron who, while down in the count 0-2, drove the ball into the right-center field gap to bring in the game-winning run.
“I just did my thing,” Hebron said. “We worked so hard to get those runners in scoring position, so I knew it was up to me to put the ball in play and get the job done.”
Hebron, one of three seniors on South Carroll’s roster, was just one of many who lauded the young team’s growth throughout the season. With more freshmen and sophomores than seniors, the growth of the young players was on display as while down big. The team’s mindset never changed as they believed in themselves and each other.
“We may not have started with the energy but we definitely finished with it,” Hebron said. “I thought it was pretty cool to see our young guys stay in the game and stay competitive the whole time.”
With the playoffs approaching, a rematch could be on the horizon in this year’s regional. After the win, Zawacki is confident in his young team and anticipates a Cavaliers team ready to fight hard regardless of the opponent.
“Our guys are competitive and fearless,” Zawacki said. “This win gives us all the momentum as we try to give it our all in the playoffs. We continue to play like that and we’ll 100% be ready for anybody.”
