Matt Dill delivered the moment of a lifetime at the plate to help the perennial powerhouse Baylor School baseball program win its seventh straight region championship.
And it came against the Red Raiders' biggest rival on the road.
Standing in the box against McCallie ace Chris Moore, who had already fanned nine Baylor batters, Dill knew he had to be ready to attack.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the sixth, along with Moore being down to his last three pitches of the game before having to be pulled due to TSSAA pitch count rules, Dill turned on an inner-half fastball to send a towering fly ball into the trees beyond the left field wall for a grand slam to break a 3-3 tie.
Dill would then step to the mound to close out Monday's 7-4 statement road win over the Blue Tornado.
"This is such a big deal for my team," Dill said. "To win our seventh region title in a row on the road versus our rivals is the best. That home run is the most memorable moment of my high school career. That is my first career home run. I just turned on it and hoped it wouldn't go foul because I have hit three this year that would have gone out but went foul."
The Red Raiders improved to 19-3 overall with the win and 9-1 in Division II-AA East Region 2 play as they were victorious for the seventh game in a row.
Baylor's Amari Jefferson also broke a tie in the third inning with a two-run shot over the left center field fence. Two of the visitor's four hits were home runs, as leadoff hitter Jack Schuman and senior star Tomas Valincius had singles in the victory.
Schuman also provided the defensive play of the night as he ranged back into the outfield grass from his shortstop position to make a fully extended diving catch to end the sixth inning.
Junior starting pitcher Jax Bishop improved to 4-0 on the season as he allowed three earned runs over five innings with six strikeouts. Bishop settled down after McCallie leadoff hitter Noah Wilson began the first inning with a 380-foot home run to right field to tie the game.
The Blue Tornado (19-10, 6-4) tied the game in the fourth as Hayden Choate doubled after a leadoff walk to Nick Gibson. A wild pitch made it 3-2 Baylor, before David Sabo's sacrifice fly to center field tied the game at three despite a strong throw home by Jefferson.
However, the night belonged to Dill and the Red Raiders.
"Matt is an old school baseball player who does everything the way you are supposed to play the game," Baylor co-head coach Mike Kinney said. "He gives you his best effort no matter what. He is the competitor you want your kids to be.
"He is one of the top tier kids I have. I just don't throw him all the time because we need him at shortstop. He has embraced his role and is ready when you need him. Just like he was in that big at-bat to hit a grand slam to beat McCallie. I am proud of his consistency as a player and a person."
After missing most of last season because of an ACL injury, Dill is making the most of every moment with his team.
"Matt comes from a baseball family and knows how to play the game the right way," Baylor co-head coach Greg Elie said. "He doesn't press. He got up there in a big moment and attacked like he knows how to do. For him to help us clinch another region title like that is pretty special."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.
Dill helps deliver seventh straight region title for Baylor baseball | Chattanooga Times Free Press
#WeAreBaylor
