Vina earns playoff spot with late rally
Vina players celebrate with coach Greg Hamilton aftere defeating Tharptown to clinch a playoff berth.
THARPTOWN – During the off-season Vina varsity baseball coach Greg Hamilton heard many people tell him his Red Devils would be down this year.
The loss of pitchers Brent Townsend and Morgan McCarley, who accounted for 17 of Vina’s wins last year, was supposed to make the Red Devil vulnerable.
Instead, the team rallied around the perceived adversity and picked up its 17th victory this season Thursday afternoon when it rallied past Tharptown 10-5 to clinch a playoff berth.
“They established a new team identity and got better defensively,” Hamilton said. “I’m really happy for what they have accomplished.”
Vina and Tharptown both entered the final series of area play with identical 4-2 records in area play and were competing for the last playoff spot in Class 1A, Area 13.
Vina put itself in good position to clinch the playoff berth Tuesday when the Red Devils defeated Tharptown 4-3. All they needed was to beat Tharptown Thursday to earn the spot, but Tharptown would not go down easily.
Vina jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning Thursday, but Tharptown scored four runs in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead.
Neither team scored in the second inning, but Vina scored a pair of runs in the third to tie the game. The Wildcats answered moments later with another run to regain the lead — it would be the last run Tharptown would score.
Vina added three runs in the fifth inning to take a 7-5 lead and extended the advantage with three more runs in the seventh inning.
Patrick White led the Vina offense with three triples and five RBIs while Adam Pharr singled, doubled and drove in four runs. Clay Pierce picked up three hits and had one RBI.
“It was timely hitting, good clutch hitting,” Hamilton said.
Tharptown’s Brandon Cothrum took the loss on the mound. He pitched seven innings, allowing 10 hits and striking out 12 Vina batters.
Nick Long led the Wildcats with a double, a triple and two RBIs while Cothrum singled, doubled and drove in one run.
Nick Schmittou earned the win for Vina, pitching seven innings. He allowed seven hits and struck out three Tharptown hitters.
With the win Vina will travel to Cedar Bluff next Friday for the opening round of the state playoffs.
