Golden Eagles complete title run with 4-3, 10-inning victory to clinch crown
Kirby-Jones named tournament MVP
PADUCAH, Ky. – Evan Webb was jumping up and down at third
base, doing the happy dance like a little boy as he watched a
Jacksonville State fly ball arc into short left center field.
A moment later, the ball floated down into Chad Oberacker’s
glove and the dugout emptied. The Golden Eagles hog-piled freshman
pitcher Ben Burgess, who just capped off four scoreless innings in
relief as Tennessee Tech finished an amazing unbeaten run in Brooks
Stadium to win the 2009 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Tournament
and earn the league’s automatic bid to next week’s NCAA
Tournament.
“Just like every team here, that was the plan,” said
Golden Eagle head coach Matt Bragga. “We were able to be the
last one standing at the end, after playing a whole lot of good
baseball teams.
“Our kids really battled hard today,” Bragga said.
“When we came out, we wanted it so badly, and maybe that made
it a little more difficult. You also have to give a lot of credit
to Jacksonville State. They battled hard. But I’m really
proud of our guys, they really worked hard and they deserved
it.”
Webb’s fifth inning, two-run home run erased an early 3-1 JSU
lead and tied the game at 3-all. Burgess took over for starter
Chason Choate and the pair held the explosive Gamecock offense
scoreless for nine consecutive innings.
Tech strung together a walk and two singles in the top of the 10th
to score a go-ahead run, and it was enough to give Bragga’s
team its second consecutive one-run, 10-inning win over JSU in the
tournament.
Sophomore A.J. Kirby-Jones was named the Most Valuable Player in
the tournament, one of six Golden Eagles listed on the
all-tournament team.
“The great thing about it is that everybody came through and
did their job,” said the sophomore from Webb School in
Knoxville. “We got the clutch hits when we needed them, and a
great pitching performance from Ben Burgess.
“We just came together, and everybody played their best
baseball at the right time,” Kirby-Jones said. “We
tried not to press too much, and we came through when we needed a
big hit.”
Kirby-Jones made a defensive play in the bottom of the seventh to
gun down the potential winning run at the plate for the Gamecocks.
In the top of the 10th, he delivered a one-out single to drive in
Alex Henry with what proved to be Tech’s winning run.
“It’s so funny because you expect doubles and home runs
from A.J., but that’s what he brings to the yard, the threat
of a single in the hole when you need it, a double off the wall or
a home run over the scoreboard,” Bragga said. “He is
just that type of player, day in and day out, and that’s the
neat thing about A.J. He is just so consistent, and stays level
headed through it all and he is just a great kid.”
Joining Kirby-Jones on the all-tournament team were Burgess,
Oberacker, Casanova Donaldson, Ryan Dennick and Lee Henry.
There were lots of heroes for the Golden Eagles, who won their
third OVC Tournament crown in 13 years, the most by any league
team.
The list begins with sophomore pitcher Chason Choate, making only
his fourth start of the year. After JSU had reached him for a 3-1
lead in the bottom of the first, he settled down and held the
Gamecocks scoreless for the next five frames.
Choate worked six innings, scattering five hits while allowing
three runs. He walked four and struck out four, pitching around JSU
hits in the second and third, and tossing 1-2-3 innings in the
fourth and fifth. He gave up a walk in the sixth, but got an
inning-ending double play ball to squash that threat.
“He (Chason) threw a couple innings yesterday, we had him hot
in the pen on Wednesday, hot in the pen on Thursday, and he comes
back and gives us six today,” Bragga said. “That was
really amazing, and then for Ben to come in and give us some great
innings, that was huge.”
Alex Henry led off the game with a solo home run
Next on the list is Burgess, who relieved Choate after two walks to
open the seventh inning. A sacrifice fly put two runners in scoring
position for the Gamecocks with one out, setting the stage for
Kirby-Jones to make a game-changing play.
Dangerous leadoff hitter Todd Cunningham chopped a hard grounder
toward first where Kirby-Jones fielded it and saw the runner at
third breaking for home. He fired to the plate, where senior
catcher Cory Wright applied the tag for the second out and
prevented the Gamecocks from taking the lead.
Burgess got out of the inning, then worked around a leadoff single
in the eighth. He retired nine in a row, including 1-2-3 efforts in
the bottom of the ninth and 10th.
The freshman, who played catcher, outfield, designated hitter and
pitcher this season, earned his first career win (1-2), He pitched
four scoreless innings, allowing one hit, walking one and striking
out four.
Alex Henry led off the contest with a solo home run to stake Tech
to a 1-0 lead, then Webb delivered a two-run home run in the fifth
to tie the game as long balls accounted for all three runs.
Henry, Oberacker and Webb each had two of Tech’s eight hits
off four JSU pitchers.
JSU had a couple of stellar efforts from pitchers Chase Smith and
Jordan Beistline. Smith worked four innings, allowing three runs on
three hits. In the middle innings, Beistline pitched 5.1 scoreless
innings, giving up three hits and one walk while striking out
four.
Bill Henke (2-3) took the tough-luck loss for the second straight
night, giving up two hits and a walk, and the go-ahead run without
retiring a batter.
Tech, which won OVC Tournament titles in 1997 and 2001, will learn
Monday where it will play when NCAA Regional action begins later
this week as the season continues for the Golden Eagles.
“I’m looking forward to the chance to show everybody
what Tennessee Tech is all about, and just to have fun and keep
playing baseball,” said Kirby-Jones about the first
appearance in the NCAA Tournament for every member of the
squad.
“It’s a great feeling,” he said. “Nobody
outside of this clubhouse thought we had a chance at this, and it
was a great feeling to beat Jacksonville State five times this year
and win the championship.”
Tech came into the year having lost five straight to Jacksonville
State, but the Golden Eagles went 5-0 this year against the
Gamecocks, including a three-game sweep of the conference series
and two in the OVC tournament.
(Photos by Tony Marable)
