Woodland defeated Cambridge in a doubleheader sweep, 2-1 and 6-5, April 23. Game one saw a pitchers battle between the Wildcats and the Bears of Cambridge. Zach Lambert got the start and pitched a gem. He had 10 strikeouts as he worked all the way into the seventh inning. Tommy Dowd, the pitcher for Cambridge, held the Wildcats in check for most of the game as well. He had six punchouts in his start.
The Wildcats scored first in the bottom of the fifth. Jonathan Ryan scored on a wild pitch to get the first run in on the day. In the bottom of the sixth, Conner Stermer recorded an RBI single to add some insurance going into the top half of the seventh with a score of 2-0. Stermer went 2-3 in game one of the series.
Cambridge threatened as they were facing a deficit. The Bears scored on a RBI single to make it a 2-1 game. Ayden Ray came in and shut the Bears down as he recorded two strikeouts in his save opportunity to secure game one for Woodland.
After a little time and change of uniforms, game two kicked off with Woodland as the away team. The Wildcats jumped ahead early in game two. Jake Clowers started the scoring off with an RBI single to make it a 1-0 game early on.
Cambridge broke the game wide open in the bottom of the fifth. The Bears scored on a couple of RBI singles in the inning to give them their first lead of the day going up 2-1. After loading the bases, Cambridge scored on a bases-clearing double going up 5-1 in the inning.
The top of the seventh is where the magic happened for the Wildcats. Ryan scored again, this time in game two on a wild pitch again to cut the deficit by one. Soon after, Logan Bentley made it a 5-3 game with a RBI single. After loading the bases and down to their last strike on multiple occasions in the at bat, Lucas Baker roped one the opposite way down the left field line as he cleared the bases with a three run triple giving Woodland a 6-5 lead.
Just like in game one, Ray came in the bottom of the seventh and shut down the Bears, recording a save and two strikeouts as the Wildcats won 6-5 and recorded the sweep.
“It has been a lot of tight ones this season, so our kids know how to play,” Woodland coach Todd Eubanks said. “Lucas Baker, he was really due for something good to happen for him. He stepped up right there and took the pitch the other way and made it happen.”
The Wildcats advance now to the Sweet Sixteen.
“It’s uncharted territory,” Eubanks said. “We have a program here that hasn’t been to the second round in 17 years. Last year, we were one game away from making it, so this year they were bound and determined.”
Woodland travels to take on top-seeded Loganville April 29 in the Sweet Sixteen.
Along with Woodland, Cartersville will be advancing in the GHSA state baseball tournament. For more coverage, see Saturday’s edition of The Daily Tribune News.
