Indians Rally Past Bremen, Punch Ticket To Final 4
The #7 ranked Vidalia High School Indians baseball team are headed back to the Final 4. Dropping the opening game of a postseason series on the road is usually a recipe for a quiet bus ride home, but the Indians showed plenty of resolve in their GHSA State A Division 1 Elite 8 matchup against the #2 ranked Bremen Blue Devils. Vidalia bounced back to take games two and three, securing a hard-fought series victory and extending their season.
Game 1
Things started well enough for Vidalia in Wednesday’s opening contest. The Indians got on the board in the top of the first inning with an RBI single from Clay Mimbs. After Bremen tied the game in the bottom half, Vidalia built a 3-1 advantage in the third when Mimbs was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Banks Hopkins followed with a sacrifice fly.
However, the Blue Devils' bats woke up late. Bremen pushed across three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead and added three more in the sixth to secure a 7-3 victory, despite a solid start from Vidalia senior right-hander Veer Patel, who struck out seven over six innings. Cayden Nance and Ryan Brantley both collected a pair of hits in the loss.
Game 2
Facing elimination, the Indians found themselves in an early hole in Game 2 as Bremen jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Vidalia managed to push a run across in the bottom half before incoming weather suspended play for the night with the Indians trailing 3-1.
When the teams returned to the diamond on Thursday afternoon, Vidalia cut the deficit to 3-2 in the second inning. Bremen threatened to pull away, adding three runs in the top of the third for a 6-2 lead, but the Indians answered with the long ball. Patel launched a two-run home run in the bottom of the frame to make it a 6-4 game.
The Indians completed the comeback in the fourth inning, scoring on an error before Brantley delivered a clutch two-run single to put Vidalia on top 7-6. An insurance run in the sixth capped the 8-6 victory. Brantley also picked up the win on the mound, tossing four and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief while allowing just two hits and striking out three.
Game 3
The decisive third game followed, and once again, Vidalia had to play from behind. Bremen loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning, plating a pair of runs on a hit batter and an error to take a 2-0 lead. The Indians escaped further damage, which proved to be the turning point of the series. Henry Adams took over pitching duties in the second inning and was brilliant, shutting down the Blue Devils completely. Adams threw six scoreless innings in relief, striking out three without allowing a single hit.
With Adams keeping Bremen off the board, the Vidalia offense went to work. Brantley tied the game in the fifth with an RBI single down the leftfield line. In the sixth, the Indians finally broke the game open, erupting for six runs on five hits. Brantley drove in two more with a single, while Hopkins added a two-run knock of his own. Mimbs and Reece Wall each chipped in an RBI to extend the lead to 8-2. Vidalia added one final run in the seventh to close out the 9-2 victory.
Brantley had a big game at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with five RBIs and two runs scored. Vidalia also exercised patience at the plate, drawing seven walks to keep the pressure on the Blue Devil pitching staff.
The seventh-ranked Indians now turn their attention to the State Semifinals, where they will face the #6 ranked Bleckley County Royals. The series begins with a doubleheader in Cochran this Thursday starting at 5:00 p.m., with a decisive third game scheduled for Friday at 6:00 p.m. if necessary.
On the other side of the bracket, the top-ranked Gordon Lee Trojans are set to play the #4 ranked Worth County Rams. The Trojans eliminated Vidalia in the Final 4 last season, and the Indians would certainly relish a rematch with a State Championship on the line. First, they have to take care of business in Cochran.
