Lassiter put an end to Redan's fairy tale season on Monday and earned a spot in the Class AAAAA championship series for the first time since 2006, sweeping the Raiders in a doubleheader at the Lassiter Baseball Complex.
The Trojans (26-8) won the first game 8-3 and put away the best-of-three series with a 13-7 victory in the nightcap. Lassiter, which hasn't lost a playoff game through four rounds, will host the winner of the North Gwinnett-Harrison series with a doubleheader on Friday.
"We had to hit," Lassiter coach Scott Kelly said. "Part of our philosophy is to hit the ball. We've done it all year and we have to keep it going."
Lassiter used a couple of big innings to beat Redan in the first game. The Trojans struck for three runs in the third by stringing together four consecutive hits. Cody Johnson had a two-run single to right and Reed Anthes knocked in another with an RBI single to left.
Redan (21-15) climbed closer with two runs in the four on a two-run double by Dionte Mandeldove, then tied the game in the fifth when Patrick Smith slapped a double to left-center that scored Mason Davis, but Deion Williams was called out on a bang-bang play that seemed to stop Redan's momentum and enliven the Lassiter bats.
Lassiter responded with a four-run fifth inning. Anthes drove home a run with a single, Andrew Gordon knocked in a pair with a single and Brent Nelson drove in another run with a single to chase Redan starter and loser Wesley Jones.
The Trojans capped their scoring in the sixth on a solo home run by Jimmy Mayer.
In the second game, Lassiter took a 4-0 lead with a pair of two-run innings. Brandon Stephens hit a long homer to dead center, his 13th of the season, to lead off the second and Gordon doubled home Wes Burns with the second run. In the third inning, the Trojans came up with a pair of sacrifice flies, one by Anthes to center and one by Burns to left field.
Redan cut the lead in half in the fourth inning when designated hitter Akil Danfodio drilled a two-run homer over the left-center field wall to make it 4-2. The Raiders tied it an inning later when Jones blooped a two-out single into shallow left field to bring in two runs.
But Redan's magic ran out in the sixth, when Lassiter was knocked out Smith, a left-hander. Lassiter scored seven runs on just three hits, the last two charged to reliever Gary Mele.
Redan added a long two-run homer from Williams in the sixth to make it 11-6, but Lassiter rebounded to add a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Redan tried to create more magic in the bottom half -- the Raiders won the two previous series with late-inning dramatics -- and pushed another run across, only to fall just short.
Lassiter's Stephens struck out six and got his ninth victory in the first game. Parker Shank won the second game in relief of starter Ross Ripple. Stephen Janas closed the game by pitching the last inning.
The sweep enables Lassiter to enjoy an additional game off before the state championship series begins. Kelly said, "It gives our kids a chance to relax from the intensity of the playoffs. Winning it on the first night was huge."
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