Franklin captures first sectional championship since 2013 with 6-3 win over Shelbyville

franklin-captures-first-sectional-championship-since-2013-with-6-3-win-over-shelbyville

The timely hitting that led Shelbyville baseball to its first sectional game win in more than a decade failed the Golden Bears in Monday’s championship game.

Shelbyville defeated Columbus East, 5-0, in a Class 4A, Sectional 42 semifinal game Monday afternoon that was postponed Friday night at Barnett Field when inclement weather rolled into town. The Golden Bears built a 2-0 lead over the Olympians with two-out hits from Brock Kuhn and Aiden Smith (main photo) and Luke Brinkman crushed a two-out double in the fifth inning that scored two more Golden Bears.

Gavyn Fisher worked in and out of trouble against Columbus East (9-18), tossing a 109-pitch complete game where he allowed nine hits but struck out 12.

In the championship game, Franklin struck first with a solo run in the second inning and three more runs in the third then held off a Golden Bears’ rally in the seventh to secure the Grizzly Cubs’ first sectional championship since 2013 with a 6-3 victory.

In the first six innings against Franklin starting pitcher Braeden Burton, Shelbyville managed just five singles but had the first two batters reach base in the fifth and sixth innings and failed to score.

“I think sometimes being around baseball, those games happen. It was unfortunate that happened this game because I think we were stringing those singles together but failing on our approaches the rest of the time and being unable to produce something till the last inning which was too late,” said first-year Shelbyville head coach Jacob Shively.

Following a two-run home run from Greyson Betts in the Franklin sixth inning, Shelbyville entered the seventh trailing 6-0.

Kohen Myers started the inning with his second hit of the game. Burton then walked Fisher and Reece Prickett to load the bases. Franklin turned to Brooks McNicholas to close out the win but the senior struggled with his control after striking out Luke Jackson for the first out of the inning.

Grantland Fitzgerald was hit by a pitch to plate Myers. McNicholas then walked Smith following a wild pitch and the Golden Bears were within 6-2 with the power part of the lineup coming to bat.

Franklin called on freshman lefthander Gunner Wade and he struck out Jones for the second out of the inning. Kuhn worked a walk from Wade which scored Prickett to make it 6-3.

Wade then struck out Brinkman to end the game.

The Grizzly Cubs improved to 17-10 and have won 11 of their last 14 games.

Shelbyville finished the season 16-9 and won 11 of its final 13. The end proved emotional for the Golden Bears, who entered the postseason with a great deal of confidence.

“I told them the emotions for me came because I think we accomplished something that we set out at the very beginning, that I shared at a team meeting and parent meeting with them, to improve our communication, our approach to hitting, our level-headedness and controlling what you can control,” said Shively, who took over the program just as the season started due to the resignation of Royce Carlton to accept a coaching position with the Miami Marlins organization. “I was proud of the fact that I think they grew a lot in that respect. And in the same breathe, tonight is not living up to those expectations and not meeting those. Our approaches broke down a little bit and we lost our level-headedness and let some errors get to us.”

In the sectional opener for the Golden Bears, consecutive doubles in the first inning from Jones (photo) and Kuhn staked Fisher to an early 1-0 lead. A solo home run from Smith in the third inning doubled the advantage.

Kuhn collected his second double of the game off Columbus East starting pitcher Stone Myers in the fourth and scored on Brinkman’s first of two hits in the game.

In the championship, Smith delivered a quick first inning but struggled with his control in the second inning, walking a pair of Grizzly Cubs. Burton was the first of those two walks and he scored on a passed ball for the game’s first run.

Back-to-back doubles from Carsten Bland and Owen Bullington in the third inning made it 2-0. Bullington later came around to score and Blake Smythe, who walked would score on Burton’s sacrifice fly that opened the advantage to 4-0.

Smith took the mound for the fifth inning need one more strikeout to set the Shelbyville single-season record – and he got two. He was lifted at the end of the inning after throwing 96 pitches and allowing two hits, three walks and four runs. He finished the season with 82 strikeouts.

Shelbyville third baseman Reece Prickett applies the tag on Columbus East's A.J. Tindell denying him a stolen base attempt in the fourth inning Monday at Barnett Field.

Brinkman pitched the sixth inning in his final appearance as a Golden Bear.

Shelbyville graduates four seniors – Brinkman (2B/P), Kuhn (SS), Jackson (C) and Myers (OF/P).

Steve Bush photos

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