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Bulldogs bounce back to claim 3rd game, 3rd state championship

6 June 2007 — While Princeton was confident after an opening game win in the state championship series, East Surry showed they were a worthy opponent on Saturday, rebounding to take game two, and forcing some nervous moments at the end of game three.

Still, Princeton claimed the state title with a 7-3 win in the final game.

Ryan Daughtry was named most valuable player for the series. He earned both wins on the mound for the Bulldogs, in relief in game one, and as the game three starter. He also had four hits in nine at-bats, three of those going for extra bases.

While the Cardinals had helped Princeton get off to a fast start in game one with some errors, in game two, it was Princeton’s turn. Dustin Pate, who had turned in a key performance in the Eastern 1-A Finals last week, was again given the ball. He only gave up two hits, but walked four as East Surry scored three in the first. In the bottom of the second, Coach Bruce Proctor would call on junior Chris Hinton to take over.

Hinton was very effective, and in five innings only allowed two Cardinal hits. He struck out three and walked just two.

Pate wasn’t done, though. In the fourth inning he sounded a thunderous rally cry with a monsterous blast that hit the huge Mudcat scoreboard at the stadium. The two-run homer left the Dawgs a run down.

The Cardinals finally got through on Hinton in the fifth, scoring what would be a decisive run to go back up by two, 4-3.

In the sixth, Pate delivered another rbi hit, this time a single.
The East Surry ace, however, closed out the game to even the series.

After the game, Coach Bruce Radford felt good about his team’s chances in the decider. “We were hitting the ball good. After giving up the three runs in the first, they were holding on while we were coming on. If the game had gone another inning, I think we would have won that one. And we were getting hits against their best pitcher.”

Princeton had eight hits in the game, and four were extra base hits.

The butterflies were back in game three, and Princeton got the early boost. An East Surry wild pitch allowed Drew Whaley to come home from third as PHS took a 1-0 lead in the first.

Daughtry took the mound to start the final game, but he struggled in both the first and second innings. While he got out of the first unscathed, in the second the Cardinals tied it up at 1-1.

Their next at-bats, the Bulldogs posted a decisive advantage. Michael Radford doubled, and Daughtry followed with a triple to put Princeton up. Andrew Cobb and Pate followed with singles and suddenly Princeton had a 4-1 lead.

Princeton padded their lead in the fourth with two runs, powered by Daniel Gerrell and Daughtry.

The Cardinals got one run back in the bottom of the fifth, but Coach Proctor wanted Daughtry to finish the game. When his starter allowed two hits and a walk in the bottom of the seventh to load the bases with no outs, he brought in his game one starter, Colin Parker, to relieve.

Parker gave up a sacrifice fly to let one run home, but then got a strikeout, and the final one on a fly to center, caught by Daughtry.

In addition to Pate, Adam Nethercutt and Gerrell had two hits apiece in the finale.

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