Blessed Trinity, Cartersville to decide Class 4A title after splitting twin bill

This will be the second time in the playoffs that each team has faced an elimination game. In the quarterfinal round, Blessed Trinity needed three games to beat Marist – including a decisive walk off -- and Cartersville needed three games to beat St. Pius.

“We’ve faced our backs against the wall before, but this is different,” Blessed Trinity coach Jamie Wagner said. “It’s a bigger stage. Cartersville is a great team and we’ve had so many battles with them before when we were in the same region.”

Cartersville took command of the first game with a four-run rally in the fourth inning against BT starter Cameron Novak. The Purple Hurricanes got a sacrifice fly from Thomas Peters, a run-scoring single from Tristan McKibben and a two-run double from Cole Crawford to claw back from a 1-0 deficit.

Cartersville starter Nate Russell sailed along until the sixth when he allowed a pair of two-out runs on a run-scoring double from Kade Kisz and an RBI single from Wesley Bass. It was the final inning for Russell, who struck out nine before running out of gas.

Cartersville put the game away with two more runs in the seventh thanks to a base-loaded double that Cam Cochran pulled just fair inside the third-base line. Maddox Frazier closed the game by working final inning, fanning a pair.

The second game was a complete turnaround, with Blessed Trinity scoring six times in the third inning to break open a scoreless game.

The Titans took advantage of some shaky Cartersville defense – a dropped fly ball in left field – and sent 11 batters to the plate against losing pitcher David Purdy. Twins Carson Zagryn and Aiden Zagryn each drove in a run and Wesley Bass got a pair of runs across when he produced a bases-loaded single to right that scored two runs.

“Momentum is key in this series,” Wagner said. “With their fans that they’re bringing in here, even the littlest misplay on our end brings momentum back to their dugout. I felt like we needed to have a big inning. They had their big inning in the first game, and we did a good job getting it back. It’s going to be a good game three.”

Blessed Trinity starter Joseph Contreras, the team’s No. 1 arm, had a fever three days ago but carried the game into the sixth. He lost focus and command in the fifth, walking four and throwing a pair of wild pitches that led to three runs.

Brayden Loquasto came on in relief and covered the final two innings. Loquasto, who also pitched in the first game, and Wagner said the left-hander will likely see action again in the final.

Cartersville is trying to win its seventh state title and first since 2013. Blessed Trinity is going for its fourth championship, first since 2015.