H.S. Baseball Playoffs: Elks get past Central Heights to earn state berth

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June 2, 2012

H.S. Baseball Playoffs: Elks get past Central Heights to earn state berth

By JUSTIN RAINS Palestine Herald-Press The Palestine Herald-Press Sat Jun 02, 2012, 10:20 PM CDT

KILGORE — While he’s yet to make an official request, Elkhart’s Tyler Tutt may want to see if the state tournament can be played here at Driller Park.

For the second-straight series — in the deciding game, no less — the Elkhart senior outfielder has made the game-deciding play.

Saturday, with the Elks leading 2-0 in the first inning, Tutt smashed a towering home run over the left field wall to break open Game 3 of Elkhart’s regional final series with Central Heights, a game the Elks went on to win 8-1.

“I knew they were putting in a new pitcher, I knew he was lefty and I personally like hitting off of lefties,” Tutt said. “The first pitch was just there and I was just swinging.

“I was just trying to score a couple, I didn’t know I’d hit it out.”

The win secured a spot at next week’s state tournament for the Elks, who return to state for the first time in two decades.

The Elks open is unknown at press time, and was expected to be released sometime today. The game will be at either 4 p.m. or 7 p.m. Wednesday.

“These kids, I’ve watched them grow…from sixth grade on and seeing them play ball,” EHS coach John Adair said. “This is something that we talked about ever since they were little kids, it’s something that we wanted to accomplish.

“The kids played great team baseball and just pulled together. It’s exciting.”

Jordan White, Zach Smith and Brian Johnson all scored on the slam. White and Smith had reached on singles, while Johnson reached on an error that chased Central Heights starter Brady Clifton after only 15 pitches.

Dustin Shoemaker came in relief of Clifton, and Tutt put his first pitch over the wall.

From there the Elks coasted, with junior Jacob Cheatham going the distance on the mound.

Cheatham struck out four — including Clifton to end the game — but induced two double plays and kept his team moving forward.

“I’m not the kind of guy that goes out there and tries to strike people out,” Cheatham said after the game. “I’m just going to get outs. I trust my defense and we’ve got one of the best…no the best defense in the state, I believe.

“I’ve dreamed this when I was a kid. I’m speechless.”

Added Tutt, “All the glory goes to Cheetham, he pitched his butt off all game.”

The Elks opened up Game 3 with an obvious plan to attack Clifton early in counts. Only one Elk — Levi Smith — saw more than three pitches from Clifton, and every batter hit the ball hard except for Cheatham — who laid down a bunt.

After a hard fly out to left from Cole Bridges to lead off the inning, Cam Reeves roped a single the left and moved to second on Cheatham’s bunt.

Levi Smith then smacked a single to right that scored Reeves, while White did the same in the next at-bat.

Zach Smith hit his ball to left, scoring Jordan Ives who ran for Levi Smith, and Johnson reached when Central Heights’ third baseman Trey Clark couldn’t handle his ground ball.

That loaded the bases for Tutt.

“I knew the team we were facing and I knew the team that (Central Heights) had,” Adair said when asked if he relaxed after Tutt’s home run. “But, it was a good feeling to put a six-spot up there, no doubt about it.”

Tutt’s heroics were needed because Central Heights’ Hunter Haley pitched a gem in Game 2 to lead his team to a victory.

The University of Oklahoma-commit pitched a complete game four-hitter, striking out 14 in a shutout victory.

Haley performance overshadowed a gem pitched by Elkhart’s Jordan White in Game 2. White allowed only two runs, only one of which was earned, while striking out 10.

“The kid pitched a great game, he came out and pitched great,” Cheatham said.

White made only one real mistake in the game, leaving a pitch to Alex Phillips over the plate in the fifth that Phillips knocked to about the spot Tutt would later hit his home run.

Despite White’s gem, the Elks couldn’t get anything going against Haley.

The Elks’ only real chance at a big inning came in the sixth, when Reeves hit a single and Cheatham reached on an error on Blue Devils’ first baseman Phillips that put Reeves at third and Cheatham at second.

But, the next three Elkhart batters couldn’t do anything else, and the pair were left stranded on the basepaths.

Reeves finished the series 7-for-11 for the Elks, driving in the game-winning run in Friday’s Game 1 comeback victory.

“It’s really indescribable,” Reeves said. “I never would’ve expected to get this far. It’s a great feeling and I don’t want it stop right now.”

The Game 2 loss proved not to matter in the long run, as Tutt, Reeves, Cheatham and the rest of the Elks owned Game 3 to move on to the team’s fourth-ever state tournament.

“We trust each other…just got each other up,” Cheatham said of transitioning from Game 2 to Game 3. “We had a goal in mind and we’re not going to let anything step in front of that and I don’t think we did.”

———

Sports editor Justin Rains can be reached via email at jrains@palestineherald.com

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H.S. Baseball Playoffs: Elks get past Central Heights to earn state berth

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