The playoffs are already a certainty but the Winder-Barrow High School baseball team still has work to do before the 2010 regular season comes to an end.
With the No. 2 seed from Region 8-AAAA still on the line, the Diamond Doggs took one more step toward clinching that spot with a 3-0 win against visiting Monroe Area Monday at Charles W. Maddox Complex. Taylor Keinat worked another strong outing as WBHS is now just one win away from clinching home field advantage in the opening round of the state playoffs, which begin next week.
The Bulldoggs travel to Madison County Wednesday for a 5:55 p.m. contest. A win would give coach Brian Smith’s team the No. 2 seed.
A loss wouldn’t rule it out but would cause WBHS to need some help.
“We don’t want to worry about relying on anyone else,” Smith said after Monday’s win. “We just need to take care of business.”
Keinat went the distance Monday afternoon throwing a total of 107 pitches with four strikeouts. He didn’t get a lot of run support but he didn’t need it as he kept the Purple Hurricane batters in check scattering four hits.
Trace McDaniel scored the first run in the bottom of the second when Keinat reached base on an error.
The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth when WBHS pushed one more across on a sacrifice fly by Max Pentecost.
The final run came in the sixth when Dylan Ivey drove in McDaniel, who led off the inning with a double.
“Our goal is to always finish playing strong baseball,” Smith said. “We have now won eight of our last 10 games. I think we are on a pretty good roll and are playing pretty well right now.”
The Diamond Dogg coach said his team had a strong spring break despite the setback to Loganville noting that game was just “one of those days.”
To earn home field advantage would be key for WBHS, Smith said.
“We are proud of our facilities,” he said. “We’d love to be able to host a state series.”
The Bulldoggs have lost just once all spring at home, a one-run decision to Loganville.
Prior to Monday’s contest, the Diamond Doggs faced region leader Loganville in what was billed as a much anticipated rematch from earlier in the season when the Red Devils rallied for a dramatic seventh-inning rally.
The rematch was not as near dramatic as LHS took an 11-0 win and clinched the Region 8-AAAA title. Coach Jeff Segars team improved to 21-3 overall and 17-1 in region play with Friday’s win.
The Red Devils were able to dominant partly due to the pitching performance of Kenneth Anderson who allowed just three hits.
Friday’s loss came just two days after WBHS recorded a much-needed 11-2 win against Salem. One of the two teams will get the No. 2 seed so Wednesday’s win was key for the Diamond Doggs.
Clint Spratlin improved to 7-0 with the victory going 4.1 innings allowing one earned run with four strikeouts. Dustin Dunagan closed the contest out.
Pentecost helped pace the offense with two hits including his eighth homer of the spring. Trace McDaniel added a homer as well (his fourth.)
Also contributing at the plate were Dylan Ivey, Taylor Hinshaw, Taylor Keinat and Dunagan.
WBHS scored two in the first and two in the fourth but slammed the door with seven in the sixth.
