If it is going to Game 3 — Reeltown is going to take it.
For the second time in the AHSAA Class 2A baseball playoffs, the Rebels have snatched Game 3 by more than 10 runs. First, it was Isabella and this time it was Cottonwood, advancing Reeltown baseball to the fourth round for the first time in school history.
The first game showed much of what made Reeltown successful all year, taking the 6-4 victory. JaMarkius Smith manned the mound for the first four frames, sending 10 batters back to the dugout before Brody Smith came in to close things out with three strikeouts.
However, it was pleasant to start. Cottonwood struck first in the bottom of the fourth and added two more runs in the fifth to hold a three-run lead after Reeltown. That was until the top of the sixth inning. Reeltown poured in on Cottonwood, scoring six runs thanks to some timely hitting.
“But I’ll tell you, we played five innings of really stressful baseball,” Reeltown coach Matt Johnson said. “They had a one-run lead on us the majority of the game, and then in the sixth inning, we just came alive.”
However, the late-game success did not carry over into Game 2. The Bears took an 8-0 win to even the series due in large part to the success of pitcher Braylon Morris and his 11 strikeouts. Reed Wood, Xander Johnston and Branton Spraggins were the only batters to come away with a hit on the day while the Bears piled on nine hits.
“We didn't hit the ball very well in the second game at all,” Johnson said. “Of course, they threw a really good pitcher, and we didn't swing the bat well.”
Even with the struggles that reared their head for the Rebels in Game 2, they responded in a big way to take the series with an 11-1 win. Hagan Lewis stole the show in the final game, pitching all five innings with two strikeouts to his name then turning around to put up three hits. JaMarkius Smith and Bordy Smith chipped in two two hits each while the Rebels as a whole put up 12 hits.
“Hagan started for us and pitched an unbelievable game,” Johnson said. “I think we ended up with like 15 hits. We were able to close it in five innings, which is huge to keep (Hagan’s) pitch count down, because it's a short week going into this week.”
Next up for Reeltown will be Pike Liberal Arts, although still early into the scouting process Johnson knows it’ll be a tough game. However, Johnson is proud of his team for what it has been able to accomplish by making it to the fourth round for the first time.
“The guys have really been playing good ball lately, especially throughout the playoffs,” Johnson said. “The second game against Isabella was pretty rough. Other than that, they've been very consistent. Really proud of them.”