MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – McCallie’s Corbin Brooksbank and Briarcrest’s Connor Shamblin locked up in an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel Tuesday night in the TSSAA Division II-AA state baseball tournament.
Through six innings there wasn’t a crooked number to be seen on the scoreboard.
Brooksbank, a Vanderbilt signee, stopped the Saints on five hits.
Shamblin went into the seventh with a four-hitter.
The Blue Tornado loaded the bases with none out and Cameron Costo delivered a sacrifice fly to center field and drove in the game’s only run in a 1-0 victory at Wilson Central High School.
McCallie (21-13-1) advance to the second round and will play Brentwood Academy (21-12) at 12:30 CT on Wednesday. Brentwood knocked off Pope John Paul 7-0 in the day’s first game.
Costo, who had a single, walk and groundout in three previous at-bats, became the Tornado’s hero when he stroked a 2-2 Shamblin fastball to center. And before the ball even touched center fielder Chase Martin’s glove, McCallie players and fans were already starting the victory celebration.
“The pitch was right down the middle,” said Costo, whose father Tim is the McCallie coach. “I was trying to get inside it and drive the ball to the outfield. I totally knew it was deep enough to score the run.
“When I got to first base I was jumping up and down. It was great.”
McCallie's Dane Beard started the seventh with a hit up the middle and went to third on a subsequent throwing error, the ball sailing into the McCallie dugout down the first-base line.
Shamblin walked pinch-hitter Kahler Youngblood and Chad Marsh to load the bases.
Each of the first three batters took Shamblin to a 3-1 count.
Brooksbank struck out for the third straight time.
Then it was Costo time.
“Right before that at-bat I was shaking,” he said. “I was really nervous.”
Shamblin evened the count at 2-2 when Costo swung at a pitch high and out of the strike zone. On the next offering from the Saints’ hurler, Costo took a rip and left no doubt the game was over.’
“We work on situational hitting almost every day,” coach Costo said. “It all comes down to the situation we’re in at the time.”
The seventh presented McCallie with its best opportunity to do some damage to Shamblin, but the Tornado had several opportunities that were wasted.
McCallie had a runner thrown out at third and stranded another at second in the first inning. The Tornado stranded two more in the second and put runners at second and third with one out an inning later. Shamblin doused that threat by striking out Beard and Day.
The Blue Tornado shattered that trend in the seventh.
The blown scoring chances didn’t bother Brooksbank, who allowed only five base runners, never more than one in an inning and none got past second.
The hard-throwing right-hander, who will pitch for the Commodores, struck out 11 and walked none. He fanned Shamblin three times.
“I felt very confident out there,” Brooksbank said. “I’m thankful I had the opportunity to be on the mound in a game like this and do what I could for my team.”
The senior has developed a reputation for being a big-game pitcher.
“I go out there and take deep breaths and try to work with as much confidence as possible,” he said. “I want to put the team in the best situations possible.”
Brooksbank fanned three batters in the first and third innings, but maybe his two most critical whiffs came in the Briarcrest seventh.
Justin Mask opened with a single to left.
Brooksbank fanned D.J. Johnson.
Mask tried to steal second. The throw from Max Riemer was tailing away from second baseman Blaine Pritchett. However, Pritchett dived to prevent the throw from getting away and made the catch and tagged out Mask in the same motion.
“That was a great play on both ends,” Brooksbank said of the play at second. “When the catcher and second baseman make a play like that it’s a momentum changer and it gives me even more confidence.”
Brooksbank then struck out Jeffrey Hamsley to end the inning.
LINESCORE
Briarcrest 000 000 0 – 0 5 1
McCallie 000 000 1 – 1 5 0
Shamblin and McDaniel; Brooksbank and Riemer.
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)