The 2013 season marks the inaugural crowning of both Class A-Public and Class A-Private champions. In Class-A Public, Charlton County (27-2) is paired with Gordon Lee (29-2). In 2012, both Gordon Lee and Charlton County had their championship hopes ended by Providence Christian, which went on to win the title. Gordon Lee fell to the Stars in the second round, and Charlton County lost to them in the state championship.
This season looks to be different, as both teams are well equipped with lineups that are red-hot and capable of bursting into a five- or six-run inning at any point. Gordon Lee has outscored its opponents 84-11 leading up to the championship and Charlton County had a 53-10 run advantage in its trio of playoff sweeps.
Gordon Lee is yet to be tested besides an early hiccup in Game 1 of the semifinals against Treutlen. Visiting Treutlen opened up a five-run top of the first, but the Trojans regained the momentum before the Vikings could get up to the second inning. Gordon Lee outscored them 33-3 from that point in the series. Adam Vandiver is the leadoff man and gets support throughout the lineup. Tanner Sexton recorded five hits and five RBIs in the sweep over Treutlen. Daniel Brooks, Adam Vandiver, Conner Coakley, Kyle Rosen and Brad Cammack all had multi-hit games to erase the 5-0 deficit in the semis.
For Charlton County, it has been a collective effort to get back into the title game. Last year’s ace Chris Smith graduated and left a vacancy in the Indians’ rotation, and Ryan Young has come in and filled it seamlessly. Young rested an aggravated throwing arm last season and did not pitch, but has five wins on the season and combines it with his potent .376 batting average that includes 21 RBIs. A total of 10 players possess batting averages upward of .300. Leadoff man Jacob Baxter is hitting .457 and sophomore L.J. Talley is batting .508. Baxter and Talley are dangerous baserunners and the two have combined for 30 stolen bases on the season. Jesse King had a broken hand last season, but the junior has remained healthy this season and is batting cleanup at .449 with a team-high 36 RBIs.
Class A-Private sets up a playoff rematch from a year ago with Mt. Paran Christian and Eagle’s Landing Christian. The Chargers swept Mt. Paran in the second round before losing in three games to George Walton in the semis. This year Mt. Paran finds itself in the championship after sweeping George Walton in the semis. Mt. Paran gave up just one unearned run in the two games and showed to be playing its most polished ball of the season. Pitchers Jordan VerSteeg and Colton Cannon are the No. 1 and No. 2 starters. VerSteeg pitched a complete-game shutout in the 5-0 Game 2 win, and Cannon pitched six innings giving up no earned runs in the Game 1 8-1 decision. Matt Mackenzie, Hunter Rice, Tyler Flowers, Landon Faulkner and Jake Palomaki are all excellent hitters. Mt. Paran’s last championship appearance was in 2005.
Darlington took Eagle’s Landing Christian to a Game 3 in the semifinals, but that does not mean this team has weaknesses. The Chargers are a well-built team loaded with athleticism, power and experience. The pitching and defense of Mt. Paran will be put to the test against the bats of Jacob Heyward and the Chargers. In their Game 3 win over Darlington, their ability to produce runs was in full display to a level that has been unmatched this postseason. They scored 17 runs off of 14 hits in the sixth inning to close their 24-5 win.
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