Blessed Trinity won two games in extra innings at Cartersville to win the Class AAA state championship today. Junior Cody Roberts drove in the game-winning run in both games while picking up the save to preserve a 2-1 win in the series opener.
“He’s been lights out,” said Titans coach Andy Harlin of Roberts' Game 1 performance. “(Roberts) has been our closer all year long. He caught the game, too. He’ll come to me and say, ‘I’m good, Coach.’ When you give him the ball (to pitch), you feel pretty safe.”
Roberts singled home junior Chris Seibert in the top of the eighth inning in Game 1 and then came on to pitch the final three outs of the game in a hostile road environment over the defending state champs. Ryan Young earned the win after pitching eight innings of one-run ball.
Game 2 was more of the same by Roberts, who came on to pitch two innings, then single home the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth for a 3-2 win. The Titans led 2-0 going into the seventh, but watched as the Purple Hurricanes rallied for two runs to send it to extra innings yet again. But Blessed Trinity would load the bases after a scoreless eighth to set up Roberts’ heroics. Conor Davis got the win for Blessed Trinity.
Harlin attributed hard work and chemistry for the Titans’ clutch play today.
“It’s the way they prepare,” said Harlin of his team’s late-game success. “This group really prepared. They got down to practice early and helped each other and when you have that chemistry, it’s like having a superstar on your team.”
It was the Titans’ second baseball championship and first since 2006. Harlin was the coach of both teams and two of his current assistants were players on the last group of Blessed Trinity state champions.
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