First round surprises

What results were unexpected to you?

The one that caught my attention was the 12-2 victory of Millbrook over Garner. Garner came into the game with 19-2 record and a #5 ranking in the state. In 4A, the only other top-10 team to lose was beaten by current #1 JH Rose, so that can't be considered an upset, obviously.

Which results caught your attention and why?

 

I personally thought that the MECA-8 #1 Seed Independence 12 vs. NW4A #2 Seed Watauga 1 game in 5 innings @ Independence was a little surprising! I was not actually at the game but from all reports, Indy seemed to win with much more ease than anticipated that particular night!

I know that this game can not be considered an upset since Indy is listed #4 in the polls and Watauga was not listed at all but, can anyone that was at the game give a report on where and how Indy got the early advantage over Watauga back on 5/18? :huh:

 

Snowball

The Indy-Watauga game was a bit of a snowball effect. Once Indy got the mo of a scoreless game in the 3rd, everything they did (hit and run, steal, bunt, close their eyes and turn one-handed, defensive swings into bloop hits) worked, while Watauga went from a baseball team to rejects from the Bad News Bears casting. They made at least 4 actual errors, and several of the mental kind that don't show in the scorebook, before this thing mercilessly came to an end. Credit Indy for really battling at the plate. They really let the ball get deep and kind of fight it off for a lot of frustrating, soft, hit-em-where-they-ain't kind of hits. With wooden bats, they might of had 3 hits in the game, but they just kept nickel and diming Watauga to death and Watauga had no answer for their aggression on the bases. Ultimately it was the classic case of one team throwing the first punch and the other team not fighting back -- and when you get down early in a high pressure game like one-and-out playoffs, that spiraling momentum can really make for some ugly scores.

 

I dont't think that Millbrook beating Garner was a real surprise to me except for the way they seemed to dominate them that night. Millbrook has some very solid players are well coached!!

 

Indy puts the bat on the ball .... period. Coach Coltrane has developed a very diciplined team who makes you earn every out. Same with South Meck. They are two of the best contact hitting teams in 4A ball. South Meck probably has more power, but Indy will work you to death at the plate. Friday is going to be a GREAT game. Wonderful matchup for both teams.

 

Another mild (abeit very mild) surprise is how well the Metro-6 is doing in the tournament. They are 3-0 right now. East Forsyth/Page will happen tomorrow, so that gaudy winning percentage has to change, but they've done very well. North Forsyth has a tough test against West Forsyth on friday.

 

Thanks a lot NC....I was already nervous