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The Troup baseball team is heading to the Final 4 after sweeping a doubleheader against Jefferson in The Jungle on Wednesday. 

“This is the most perfect feeling ever right now,” junior pitcher Cason Spears said, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s amazing to do this at home and have everybody cheering. I’ll never forget this.”

This was the Tigers’ fourth trip to the Elite 8 in the last five years. The other three trips ended in that round, but this year’s team is chasing greatness.

“The first three times we made it this far, we were on the road,” Troup coach Tanner Glisson said. “This year, we get to be the home team through the Final 4, and this place has been very good to us, and we’ve had some exciting moments here.”

 

GAME ONE:

TROUP – 9

JEFFERSON – 3

 

After a scoreless opening inning, the Tigers got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the second. Garrison Edwards walked, and Davis Moncus was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to send the two opening runs home.

The Tigers had a chance to add to their lead in the third, but Trey Dean was tagged out sliding home in the inning. 

Troup did eventually add to its lead with two runs in the fourth inning. Moncus hit a two-run single to double the Tiger lead.

The Dragons got their first hit and their first run in the top of the fifth inning, but it served as nothing more than consolation.

The Tigers retaliated with five runs in the top of the seventh to completely blow the game open. Brady Willis walked with the bases loaded to send the first run of the inning home. Chase Mosley singled to drive home an additional two runs. A wild pitch and a Jake Perry sacrifice fly allowed the final two runs of the inning to reach home. 

The Dragons added a couple of consolation runs to their tally in the seventh and final inning. 

Jake Perry got the start on the mound for Troup and was superb in his six innings of work, allowing just three hits and no earned runs on seven strikeouts. Spears pitched the final inning for Troup. 

“Game one, I didn’t really have my best stuff and coach G(lisson) challenged me to be better in game two,” Spears said. 

 

GAME TWO:

TROUP – 5

JEFFERSON – 4

 

Game one was largely dominated by Troup, but that was not the case in the second game of the evening. Troup had to scrape and crawl and eventually snatch a 5-4 victory in extra innings.

The Tigers got off to a strong start in game two as well, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. A sacrifice fly from Fisher Baltzell got Troup off and running in game two.

“I live for these moments,” said Baltzell, one of the team’s three seniors. “This is the first year I’ve been able to play playoff games at home, so it’s special.”

An error in the bottom of the first allowed the Dragons to tie the game. Jefferson took the lead with an RBI single later in the inning. The Dragons’ hot start continued with two additional runs in the first inning to take a quick 4-1 lead.

The Tigers chipped into the deficit with a run in the fourth inning courtesy of a Mosley RBI single.

Troup trimmed the Dragon lead to one run with a RBI double from Walker in the top of the sixth inning. Baltzell would tie the game moments later with a solo home run.

Jefferson had a chance to walk it off in the eighth inning, but Willis tagged the potential winning run out at home plate after an absolute dime of a throw from outfielder Garrison Edwards. 

“Those are winning plays,” Glisson said. “We would be playing a game 3 tomorrow if it wasn’t for Garrison and Brady there, so hats off to those guys.”

The game would stay tied until the ninth inning when Baltzell scored the winning run on a wild pitch. 

“It’s all a blur to be honest,” Baltzell said. “It feels like a dream, and I’m having a hard time remembering exactly how it happened.”

Moncus got the start on the mound in game two, but was quickly replaced by Mosley, who pitched six innings in which he allowed six hits and two earned runs on seven strikeouts. 

“I thought Mosley came in and did a great job for us to even get to Cason,” Glisson said. “He was not expecting to come in during the first inning, but we needed him and he delivered for us.”

Spears pitched the final three innings for Troup, allowing just two hits on two strikeouts. 

“I have been waiting for a moment like this,” Spears said. “I just knew I could throw strikes, and if they connected with the ball, my defense had my back behind me.”

 

WHAT’S NEXT:

Troup will host Pickens for the state semifinals next Tuesday. A potential game three would be played on Wednesday. Troup has lost just one home game all season. 

“There’s nothing like playing here,” Baltzell said of The Jungle, where he will play the final home games of his high school career next week. “When we look over and hear everybody cheering, it just gives the whole dugout energy.”