Jim Mashek

SPARTANS GAIN INSIDE TRACK TO No. 1 SEED FOR 14th DISTRICT TOURNAMENT

Dalton Sisson and South Warren teammate Eli Capps arrived at Greenwood High School’s Corey Hart Ballpark on Tuesday afternoon with a mission in mind.

The Spartans unpacked their gear and Sisson and Capps stepped into the bullpen, adjacent to the South Warren dugout.

Sisson understood South needed a quality start, not to mention an extensive one, after Monday night’s endurance test, the Spartans’ 6-5 victory over the Gators — in 13 grueling innings, mind you — at South Warren Ballpark.

So he started spinnin’ it. And he knew it. Likewise, Capps, his catcher.

“I could tell, I could tell Dalton was on, in the bullpen,” Capps said. “Then he goes out for the first inning. One walk, but three pretty quick outs. Our attitude in the dugout goes straight up.

“He’s got a little swagger to him.”

Sisson’s swag was plenty enough for the Spartans to gain the inside track to the No. 1 seed for next month’s KHSAA 14th District Tournament, as he worked 6 2/3 innings in guiding South to a workmanlike 6-0 victory over the Gators.

South teammate Ethan Reynolds finished the task at hand as the Spartans took a major step toward a possible district championship. The Spartans improved to 15-6 overall and 3-1 in 14th District play while Greenwood dropped to 17-4 and 2-2, respectively.

“We had to be mentally strong,” South Warren coach Chris Gage said. “We basically played two baseball games yesterday, at our place. Our guys kept their composure.

“Sisson worked ahead in the count, he pounded the zone. Dalton let the defense do the work.”

Sisson allowed six hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven batters while walking three. The Gators didn’t have multiple base runners until the bottom of the sixth inning, at which point they trailed 6-0.

Still, Greenwood had the bases loaded and just one out, in that critical frame.

No problem for Sisson, however, as he struck out the Gators’ Chaze Huff on an 0-2 beaking pitch before retiring Drake Bowers on a routine fly ball to center field.

“All I knew is I needed to go as far as I could,” Sisson said. “I really depended on the curveball the last two or three innings. I think I threw 13 or 14 breaking balls in a row, at one point.

“The only contact they were making was weak contact, so we kept throwing it.”

Sisson also had a big night at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a second-inning RBI.

Greenwood coach Jason Jaggers had to go with a quick hook for James Russell, his starting pitcher, to keep it close.

The Spartans got run-scoring singles from Cam Page and Sisson in the top of the second, bringing Cooper Davis out of the Greenwood bullpen. Davis kept the Gators within striking distance until the top of the fifth inning, when South extended its lead to 6-0.

Easton Talley finished the game on the mound for the Gators.

“Some of the fireworks from last night’s game seem to have hurt us, mentally,” Jaggers said. “We were really flat tonight. (Sisson) consistently threw the off-speed pitches for strikes. He spotted the ball very well, did a good job.”

Tuesday night’s loss means the Gators likely will be in the knockout game in the 14th District Tournament, the matchup between the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in semifinal play.

Still, Greenwood has racked up some impressive wins this season, and the Gators have a chance to regain some momentum in Thursday night’s home game against former 14th District rival Warren East High School. The Raiders (17-6) won the Kentucky 2A championship over the weekend in Owensboro, slipping past Whitley County 2-1 in the championship game.

South coach Chris Gage, meanwhile, said he’s had trouble scheduling a game for this weekend, and that he’s “still working on it.” For the moment, the Spartans aren’t scheduled to play again until Monday’s district game against Warren Central (0-16, 0-3).

The Spartans’ Ty Croghan led off the fifth with a line drive down the left-field line that fell for a double. Ethan Reynolds reached on a Greenwood error, and Griffin Rardin, the winning pitcher in Monday night’s game, ripped a run-scoring single to right field.

South’s Keegan Milby added an RBI single, through the left side of the infield, before Jacob Gilbreath closed the scoring with a sacrifice fly.

“We didn’t hit the ball real well (Monday night), so that was a good improvement,” South catcher Eli Capps said.

Sisson was asked about the imposing pitching mound at Greenwood’s Corey Hart Ballpark, which has the appearance of more than the standard 10-inch bump for baseball the world over. Jason Jaggers has said the mound has been measured many times, but Dalton Sisson doesn’t seem to be buying it.

“It’s huge,” Sisson said. “I fell down, a couple times, in the first inning.”

Needless to say, Sisson and the Spartans got up pretty quickly.

They were on their way to a critical victory.