Indians Are State Champions
The Vidalia High School Indians baseball team are AA State Champions for the first time since 2003. It took three games to decide the champion, but the Indians pulled it off in dramatic fashion on Wednesday of last week as “Comeback Kid” Kevin Cox threw a complete game two-hitter to secure the State Championship for the Indians in Game 3.
The Vidalia Indians and Thomasville Bulldogs met Tuesday morning May 24 at J.I. Clements Field on the Georgia Southern campus starting at 10:00 a.m. due to a rain out from the night before. This was a best-of-three series to determine the AA State Champions for 2022. The two teams split a double header with Vidalia taking Game 1 by a 14-4 score in five innings and Thomasville taking Game 2 by a 10-3 score in seven innings.
That forced a Game 3 on Wednesday back at GSU. The Indians prevailed in the exciting game by a score of 7-0 to win their first state baseball championship since 2003. The Indians completed the season with a 30– 11 record.
Game 1
Bryson Whited started on the mound for the Indians. He went 5 innings giving up four runs, on seven hits, walking two and striking out three to pick up the win. The Indians were swinging the bats well in this game, picking up 17 hits and scoring 14 runs to take the easy win. The Indian offense was led by Kevin Cox with 4 hits, 2 runs and 4 RBI’s; Ty Dalley with 4 hits, 2 runs and 2 RBI’s; Kaleb Bennett with 3 hits, 1 run and 3 RBI’s. Walker Moncus also had 2 hits and 1 RBI.
In the top of the 1st inning the Indians got a hit from Dalley but couldn’t score. In the bottom half the Bulldogs got a hit, but a 5-4-3 double play ended the inning with no score.
In the top of the 2nd inning the Indians got a leadoff walk from Jordan Walden. After a fly out Cox stroked a single followed by an RBI single from Bennett, putting the Indians on top 1-0 going to the bottom half. The Bulldogs got a leadoff walk, but he was left stranded when Whited struck out the last two batters, leaving the score at 1-0 Indians after two complete.
In the top of the 3rd inning the Indians sent 13 batters to the plate with 8 of them scoring. Dalley started the inning with a double and Graham walked. After an out Walden hit an RBI single. Then Spivey walked loading the bases. Cox followed with a two RBI single and Bennett got another RBI single. Bryce Davis followed with a bunt moving the runners to 2nd and 3rd. Whited picked up an infield single to knock in another run. Dalley picked up his second hit of the inning driving in a run, which was followed by RBI singles from Graham and Moncus. When the dust had settled, the Indians had scored 8 runs and led 9-0 going to the bottom half. The Bulldogs were able to pick up two runs in the bottom half on a walk, two singles and one error. The Indians were up 9-2 after three complete.
In the top of the 4th inning the Indians were able to plate three more runs with doubles from Cox and Bennett, singles by Davis and Dalley wrapped around a walk to Whited putting them up 12-2 going to the bottom half. The Bulldogs were able to get one run back with a pair of doubles, leaving the Indians up 12-3 after four complete.
In the top of the 5th inning, Moncus led off with a single and was then forced out at second on a ground ball. continued from page
Spivey drew a walk, and then Cox drove in both runners with a double, putting the Indians on top 14-3 going to the bottom of the inning. The Bulldogs were able to plate one more run, making the final score 14-4 giving the Indians the run rule win in five innings.
Game 2
Caden Spivey started on the mound for the Indians going five innings, giving up 7 runs on 8 hits, 2 walks, 2 hit batters while striking out 4 batters and taking the loss. Bryce Morley came on in the top of the 6th inning with two on and no outs. He pitched the final two innings giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk. The offense fell short in this game, picking up 9 hits but only able to plate three runs. Spivey led the offense with three hits.
In the top of the 1st inning the Bulldogs used three hits and two hit batters to score four runs taking a 4-0 lead into the bottom half. Dalley got a one out double, and Graham was hit by a pitch. Moncus followed with an RBI single, and after a strike out for the second out, Spivey followed with an RBI single as well; but another strike out ended the threat leaving the score at 4-2 after one complete.
The Bulldogs got a homerun to lead off the top of the 2nd inning. The Indians were able to match that run with a single from Bennett and a triple by Whited, but that was it for the Indians leaving the score at 5-3 after two complete.
The Bulldogs went on to plate runs in the 3rd, 6th and 7th innings, but the Indians could not get any key hits to score any more runs, leaving the final score at 10-3 in favor of the Bulldogs and forcing a third game on Wednesday.
Game 3
Kevin Cox got the start on the mound for the Indians and he totally dominated the Bulldogs. Cox allowed no runs, only two hits and two walks while striking out nine. He capped off his great performance by striking out the side in the bottom of the 7th inning to claim the victory. The Indian offense was still a little sluggish getting only 8 hits, but they got them when they needed them to drive in runs. Bryson Whited and Ty Dalley had two hits each and scored two runs each with Dalley tacking on one RBI. Hughes Graham also scored two runs while Walker Moncus scored a run and had two RBI’s. Jordan Walden, Caden Spivey, Kevin Cox and Kaleb Bennett each had an RBI as well.
The Indians jumped on top with 3 runs in the top of the 1st inning. Whited led off the inning with a walk, and Dalley followed with an RBI double to put the Indians up 1-0. Graham reached on a fielder’s choice, putting runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Moncus laid down a sacrifice bunt to get the runners to 2nd and 3rd. Walden knocked in a second run with a ground out to the shortstop while also moving Graham to 3rd base. Spivey followed with an RBI single to give the Indians a 3-0 lead going to the bottom half. The Bulldogs made two quick outs, but then got a walk and a single putting two on with two outs; but Cox struck out the next batter leaving the Indians on top 3-0 after one complete.
Neither team could muster any offense over the next three innings. Cox was particularly efficient over that span, setting the Bulldogs down 1,2,3 in each frame.
The Indians broke through again in the top of the 5th inning. Whited led off with a single and Dalley walked. Graham then laid a perfect bunt single down the 3rd base line loading the bases with no outs. Moncus then laced a two run single into left, upping the Indians lead to 5-0. Walden drew a walk to once again load the bases with no outs. After a strike out, Cox lined an RBI single up the middle; and when Bennett followed with a sacrifice fly to center, the Indians had plated 4 runs and were now up 7-0 going to the bottom half. When Cox set down the Bulldogs in the bottom half, that left the score at 7-0 with only two innings to play.
The 6th inning was scoreless, sending the game to the 7th inning. The Indians were not able to score in the top half. This left them with needing to get three outs and become state champs. Cox went to the mound with a laser focus and fanned all three batters to secure the Indians first state baseball championship since 2003. Congratulations to the Indians for the great season.
Caden Spivey makes a play in the hole and makes a good throw to get the Thomasville runner out during Game 3 of the State Championship.Photo by Mike Branch
Jordan Walden stole second base for the Indians as they built up insurance during the final game of the State Championship.Photo by Mike Branch
