The decision to bring in closer Lucas Sims to nail down Game 3 of Brookwood’s playoff series was the easy one.
A junior with 90-mph heat, Sims struck out the side to finish Game 2 on Wednesday, and he did it again Thursday in a 4-2 victory that sent Brookwood (23-8) to the Class AAAAA baseball quarterfinals.
But it was the move to take Sims out of the starting rotation and to make Allen Tokarz the third starter that has made Brookwood coach Rick Howard and staff look pretty smart this postseason.
Tokarz won his second series-clinching game, allowing nine hits while pitching into the seventh inning. After Tokarz walked Lassiter’s first hitter in the seventh, Sims needed only 11 pitches to strike out the final three.
“Nobody would’ve thought in February that [Tokarz] is the guy we’ll go to if we’re fighting for our lives,’’ Howard said. “This is his fifth start. He’s got one loss.’’
It was the second time in three years that Brookwood has eliminated Lassiter in the second round. In 2009, it was a sweep. This time, Brookwood lost the opener, but took the final two.
In Game 3, Brookwood took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning after Mike Gouge and Sims (both 2-for-3 in the game) opened with singles to left. Trey Hagey, the No. 9 hitter, scored Gouge with a hit to center, and Sims scored on Brian McGrath’s sacrifice fly. In the fifth, Brookwood scored twice on an error at shortstop with the bases loaded, making the score 4-1.
Lassiter’s runs came on homers by Andy Reif and Jared Aarons, but they were solo shots after the team had left six runners on base over the first four innings. Brookwood center fielder Trey Martin made outstanding catches on two liners that, had they fallen, probably would’ve changed the outcome.
Brookwood, the Region 8 runner-up, plays at Newnan beginning Tuesday.
Lassiter, the AAAAA runner-up last season, returned only three starters and replaced its starting rotation. The team finished 22-10 and won Region 5-AAAAA.
“Nobody counted us to have anything this year,’’ Lassiter coach Scott Kelly said. “We won a region. That’s to be a compliment to our guys.’’
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