The Lions scored at least two runs in five of seven innings to overcome a six-run deficit and defeat the Fayetteville Lions 16-10 on Friday for a series sweep in a Region IV quarterfinal.
Granger won the first game of the best-of-three series 5-0 on Thursday, so the Lions needed to win just one of two Friday to advance.
“Unbelievable,” coach Stephen Wisdom said. “We are happy to be at this point. Regional semifinals . . . I don’t know what else I can say.”
But the semifinals didn’t exactly look like a done deal after Fayetteville (17-10) put up eight runs - only one was earned - in the second inning for an 8-2 lead, forcing Granger (21-8) to replace starter Kenny Sifuentes with Jason Finn. Finn was nearly untouchable the rest of the way and the Granger offense never got discouraged.
Granger slowly chipped away at the lead, starting with a two-run third inning aided by an error, allowing both runs to go unearned.
“After that eight-run inning I told the guys, ‘Just get me two next inning and we got this thing,’” Wisdom said. “And they go out and get two runs. I’m like, ‘My goodness, they are unbelievable.’”
Granger added three in the fourth to cut it to 8-7 and then took over in the fifth with a rally that probably never should have started.
Ethan Gehrke struck out to begin the inning, but Fayetteville catcher Jordan Weishuhn dropped the pitch and then overthrew first, allowing Gehrke to reach second. Steven Brosch then hit a weak tapper that rolled to the third baseman.
But Brosch was able to beat out the throw to first, putting runners on first and second. Leadoff hitter Stephen Pustejovsky singled in a run, then Alec Wade, who was 4-for-4 with a walk and five runs, doubled in two runs to give Granger the lead, which they never relinquished.
“We preach, ‘Keep your composure,’” Wisdom said. “You don’t have to get all eight runs back at once; just keep working up there and get a couple each time.”
Granger ended up with six in the inning, then added three in the seventh.
“They got a few runs (after going down 8-2) and kind of got the momentum back on their side,” Fayetteville coach Clint Jaeger said. “Even though they were losing on the scoreboard, they had all the momentum.”
Finn made sure that Fayetteville never got back in the game, either. Despite allowing two runs on seven hits, he got the big outs when needed, including double plays in the fifth and seventh to get out of minor jams.
“In the first two years I was here I don’t think we turned a double play,” Wisdom said. “And we get two big ones tonight.”
For his part, sophomore Finn said he wasn’t at all concerned about the score.
“I don’t approach it differently than if I’m starting a game,” he said. “I know I have to come in and shut them down, then probably hit. I knew we’d come back.”
And Jaeger had no explanation as to why his team was able to put up eight runs on Sifuentes in 1 2/3 innings but only two the rest of the way.
“I don’t know what it is,” he said. “He’s a good pitcher and we struggled with him. But he didn’t seem all that different than (Sifuentes). But he did good and he was on.”
Jaeger did understand why the game suddenly started to turn back into Granger’s favor, though.
“We were ahead but had the pressure on us,” he said. “Granger had nothing to lose. They could go out and let it all loose. If they come up short they can still play Game 3, and I think we felt the pressure a little bit.
“Those guys are good. They flat-out hit the ball.”
In the end, Granger racked up 19 hits and had 24 batters reach base en route to its first-ever trip to the regional semifinals.
“I can’t say enough about these guys,” Wisdom concluded. “You kind of wonder if (giving up the big inning) knocks you down too much, but these guys are just unbelievable.”
Granger will face the winner between D’Hanis and La Pryor, who conclude their best-of-three series today.
mhood@temple-telegram.com
