Morgan Academy headed to AISA State Baseball Championship Series
Published 8:09 pm Thursday, May 2, 2019
Top-ranked Morgan Academy punched its ticket to the AISA State Baseball Championship Series.
Gunnar Henderson drove in six runs and Brayton Brown homered twice as the Senators pounded Lee-Scott 16-4 in Game 2 of the AISA State Semifinal series on Thursday. Morgan Academy swept the best-of-3 series in two games, both of which were run-ruled.
The unbeaten Senators (29-0) will face Pike Liberal Arts in the AAA State title series on Wednesday at River Walk Stadium. Game 1 will be at 10 a.m., with the second contest following immediately after.
“I couldn’t be prouder of these guys,” Senators coach Stephen Clements said. “I can’t tell you how excited I am for these guys. The Lord has blessed us and we have played unbelievably well. We need to stay focused.”
The Senators entered the fourth inning down 4-3, but Henderson and Brown led an impressive display of hitting. Henderson’s three-run triple gave the Senators a 6-4 lead they would never relinquish. Brown smacked a two-run homer for an 8-4 cushion.
“I felt like Lee-Scott had a little momentum and we were struggling,” Henderson said. “I had to come through for my teammates.”
From there, Morgan Academy took control and scored four in the fourth. Andrew Thomas scored on a balk, followed by Henderson’s three-run homer.
Morgan Academy ended the contest in the sixth inning as David Ducote opened with an RBI single. Brown’s three-run homer was the final blow that sent Morgan Academy to the state title game.
“When you’re on a team that has so much depth, it makes for stress-free at-bats,” Ducote said. “I’ve got Gunnar and Brayton hitting behind me.”
Thomas, a freshman, got the win in relief of starter Matthew Davis, pitching three innings.
“I was real nervous on the mound,” Thomas said. “I was fine once Brayton hit that second homer.”