Published: May 13, 2008 10:36 pm            

Cats taking aim at Heritage

No. 4 Patriots

If the Dalton Catamounts take the field with the same focus and intensity they had when they swept seventh-ranked Alexander in the first round of the Class 4A state baseball playoffs, they feel they can beat any team in front of them.

That includes the fourth-ranked Heritage Patriots (24-4), whom the unranked Cats (16-12) will play today in Conyers in a doubleheader that begins at 3:30 p.m. Game 2 of the best-of-three series will be played 30 minutes after the first game ends.

If necessary, the Cats will stay in Conyers overnight to play Game 3, with the opening pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday.

But the Patriots, who recently won their third consecutive Region 8-4A championship, are familiar with postseason success.

Last year, Heritage reached the championship round before losing to Greenbrier in two games. In addition, the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association named Patriots coach Casey Teal Class 4A Co-Coach of the Year and freshman Tyler Austin, the Patriots’ top offensive threat, Co-Player of the Year.

The way the Patriots took care of business last Friday against North Springs in a first-round sweep, outscoring the Spartans by a combined score of 21-2 with seven home runs, they appear poised to make another run deep into the playoffs this season.

However, Teal realizes Dalton could represent a potential roadblock to the quarterfinals and he’s aware of Cats coach Bobby Brotherton and his team’s style of play.

“They have the best coach in the region,” Teal said. “His team is fundamentally sound, disciplined and they have great kids that play baseball the right way. They have depth, they throw pitches for strikes, and their 2-3-4-5 hitters are very dangerous. (Michael) Richardson in the two-hole can bunt or swing away, and (Garren) Palmer and (Mackie) Sheets are trouble as well.

“They’re just sound from top to bottom, and play aggressive baseball, and they’re aggressive on the basepaths. They’ve been sound all year.”

Heritage is also aggressive on the bases and has terrorized opponents all season long. In a 10-0 win against Winder-Barrow in March, they stole six bases, including two double steals.

Another dangerous component to the Patriots is their knack for throwing no-hitters.

In March they threw three in a span of 11 days, with the first against Dacula in a combined effort from Austin, Chase Ware, Scott Korczyk and Anthony Bazzani in a five-inning, 13-0 mercy-rule win. Three days later in their next game, Bazzani, Korczyk and Austin combined for seven innings of no-hit baseball in a 4-0 win over Salem. One week later, Bazzani pitched a complete-game no-hitter to seal a 5-1 victory over Rockdale.

Teal said he’ll start Korczyk in Game 1, which means, according to Brotherton, the Patriots are not pitching their No. 1 starter Bazzani, possibly to hold him for Game 2.

However, Brotherton says that decision will not impact his strategy of sending out No.1 starter Sheets for the first game, meaning Colton Kinnamon would likely start the second game.

The decision to hold Bazzani for Game 2 could be interpreted as an aggressive attempt on Teal’s behalf to sweep the Cats.

“I don’t know who they’re going to start,” Brotherton said. “But we’re going to go down there as the underdog and we know we’re the underdog. We’re ready for the task, the players and my coaching staff have put in a lot of hard work and our fans are excited. This is a big opportunity and a big challenge, so I hope we’ll be up for it.”

If Dalton is to pull off the upset, it will need big games from middle infielders Stryker Brown and Michael Richardson, who play pivotal roles on both offense and defense. Offensively, they’re the 1-2 hitters, respectively, and set the table for the rest of the offense.

Defensively, they also have excelled.

“We always hope to get a ground ball when there’s a man on first because we usually turn (the double play),” Richardson said. “We just feed off each other.”

Offensively, Brown says good things happen when he or Richardson reaches base.

“If we get off to a quick start, we don’t put ourselves in a hole to dig out of,” Brown said. “The two of us help to put the pressure on and give the pitchers something to work with.”

Richardson says the team is prepared.

“We have a reputation for getting up for the big games,” the senior said. “We’ll be ready for (tonight).”

Brotherton offered an interesting analogy regarding the series to be left open for interpretation: “David got Goliath, didn’t he?”

        

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