RTCA Crusaders To Play For State Title

The Crusader baseball team of Robert Toombs Christian Academy is on to the State Championship as they swept Thomas Jefferson in the Final 4 of the GIAA State Playoffs last Saturday at home. It was all RTCA as they outscored the Jaguars 22-7 in two games. RTCA will be moving on to play against Flint River in Macon this week for the State Championship.

Game 1

Brittan Tabor threw a great game on the mound for the Crusaders in the first game of the series as he stuck out 10 batters and gave up just two hits to the Jaguars. The big story from the Jaguars was their #1 pitcher could not find the strike zone in the game as he walked 11 batters in the game.

The Crusaders took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning with a walk by Landon Sauls and Brody Randall. An error and a wild pitch allowed those two runs to come in to score to put RTCA on top 2-0. RTCA added one more run in the inning as they took a 3-0 lead over TJ.

In the fifth inning, the Crusaders loaded the bases. A wild pitch made it 4-0, and then after loading the bases back up, a walk scored Rayce Sharpe to make it 5-0. A wild pitch made it 6-0 with RTCA well out in front.

RTCA held over the next two innings with Tabor striking out the final batter for a 6-0 win in Game 1.

Game 2

In the top of the first inning of the second game, the Crusaders began to pull away early. Gage Brantley and Tabor both singled, and then a walk loaded the bases. A walk to Sharpe scored the first run of the game. RTCA added two more runs in the inning to take a 3-0 lead over Thomas Jefferson.

In the third inning, big hits by Blake Durden, Randall and Tripp Duren helped push the RTCA lead to 7-0 over the Jaguars.

Thomas Jefferson plated their first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning, but RTCA answered in the top of the fourth inning with a run to make the score 8-1.

The Jaguars scored two runs in the fifth inning to close the lead to 8-3, but four runs from the Crusaders in the top of the sixth made it 12-3. The Jaguars added four runs in the bottom of the sixth as they closed it to 12-7, but four more from the Crusaders in the top of the sixth inning put the game away as they took the win, 16-7.

Banks Hopkins got the win on the mound for RTCA as he gave up just three hits and walked five batters. Tripp Durden came in to close the game out and pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless ball.

It will be an odd week for RTCA as this best-ofthree series will be played over three days, instead of playing a double header on the first day and having a third game scheduled, if necessary. RTCA will play in Macon at Luther Williams Field, the home of the Macon Bacon, for the GIAA State Championship. The first game will be on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Game 2 will be on Friday at 10:00 a.m., and if necessary they will play a third game on Saturday with the time TBA.

Blake Durden throws over to first for an out as the Crusaders take on the Jaguars of Thomas Jefferson.Photo by Mike Branch