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Game Recap: #2 Blessed Trinity vs #10 Pope

April 19, 2023
Hudson Graham
PBR Georgia Scouting Director

When I was going over schedules at the beginning of the year, I had a feeling this matchup was going to be an important one. Going into the season these 2 teams were the region favorites, but only 1 could walk away with the championship. Pope made their usual late push, and forced this 3rd and final game to be for the region championship. After splitting the double header on Saturday everything aligned for both teams to square off with everything on the line.

The match up on the mound was Georgia Southern commit, Porter Buursema vs junior lefty Dawson Jones. Buursema came out firing in the first with his fastball getting up to 95mph. He struck out the side, and let the offense get to work. Jones got 2 quick outs, but then gave up back to back singles to Ryan Novak and Kade Kisz. The Titans would then run the 1st and 3rd run down play to score the first run of the game. Dawson Jones had the bases loaded in the 2nd, and managed to get out of it after a potential double play turned into interference from the runner to give them 2 outs. Jones really impressed with his ability to maintain his composure, and work out of a couple jams that could have potentially broken the game open for the Titans.
The Titans had a couple chances early to get a runs on the board. Georgia commit Cooper Milford led the 3rd off with a double, but Jones once again escaped trouble with a strikeout and 2 ground outs.
The Greyhounds had a couple chances early, but were not able to get anything going off Buursema until the 6th. Georgia Tech commit Carson Kerce stepped up with 1 out in the 6th inning, and sends a deep fly ball to right for a 2B. Buursema then buckled down to get the 2nd out, but now Georgia Southern commit Jack Myers was coming up with the game on the line. He managed to hit a mistake pitch, and drive it back up the middle to tie the game. That hit would take Buursema out of the game, and bring on sophomore Cameron Novak.
He faced a tall task with senior Cooper Orr up to bat. Orr did not waste any time and sent the first pitch to deep left that looked like a HR off the bat, but ended up hitting off the wall for the go ahead double. After hitting in the tying run Myers would be called on from the bullpen to try to finish the game off with 2 innings left. He made quick work of the 6th inning, and ran the FB up to 87. Novak came back out for the 7th, and gave him a tough chopper single to leadoff the inning, but then picked him off, and collected 2 more outs to send it to the bottom half down 1 run.

Sophomore Carson Zagryn got the inning going with a lead off single. Luke Payne would come in to pinch run, and make it to 3rd on a ground out by Luke Flading, and a wild pitch.
Piedmont commit Cole Harof came up big with a single to center to tie the game. With the winning run on first now, Cooper MIlford followed up Harof with another single to center to get the winning run one base closer. That hit would knock Myers out of the game and bring in senior, Carson Kerce.
Sophomore William Hamacher forced a 3-2 count, and managed to get a walk to load the bases. Ryan Novak hit a sharp grounder to 1st, and the Greyhounds managed to get the force at home for the 2nd out. Georgia Tech commit Kade Kisz came up with the winning run on 3rd, and drove a fastball up to win it for the Titans.