Baylor completes sweep of McCallie with rout at AT&T Field
Baylor School sophomore Rylan Jesse was all smiles after receiving a well-deserved ice bath from his Red Raiders teammates for starring in Wednesday night's 14-4 victory over McCallie at AT&T Field.
The opponent being the rival Blue Tornado no doubt played a part in his exuberance, but so did the location.
Having grown up as a big fan of the Cincinnati Reds, Jesse produced in a big way on the field of his favorite Major League Baseball team's Double-A affiliate, the Chattanooga Lookouts. The stout right-handed batter had three of the Red Raiders' 14 hits and collected three of his four RBIs in the bottom of the first inning on a double to the left-center field gap, clearing the bases.
"Getting to play at AT&T Field is just awesome, and to play here and come through in a big moment early," Jesse said. "We have shown here of late we are only getting better as the season keeps going. Hopefully, we can keep this up and keep on bringing the wins in for a baseball program that has garnered a lot of national respect over the years. We want to keep building on what the players before us have left here."
Baylor head coach Greg Elie was the first to give Jesse a big hug after his postgame interview and ice bath. After having tough luck at the plate for a good part in the first half of the season, Jesse broke through in a big way to complete Baylor's three-game sweep of McCallie.
The Red Raiders improved to 19-5 overall and concluded TSSAA Division II-AA East Region play with a pristine record of 12-0 while outscoring their opponents 119-27 this season. They held on for an 8-7 home win over the Blue Tornado on Monday and scored 14 runs in each of the final two games of the series.
"Rylan has been extremely selfless all year and has continued to work hard all the time," Elie said. "He has a really bright future and can really swing it. There are not many kids who get a Gatorade bath after a game for hitting some baseballs really well. That was fun to see. I could not be more proud of that kid."
Baylor struck for five runs in the first inning and two in the second, then added two more in the fourth and five more in the sixth to end the game via the mercy rule.
Mac Morris, another Baylor sophomore, reached base safely all four times as he went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks and scored four runs. Senior Camden Cloud and freshman Emerson Morris also had a pair of hits apiece, while sophomore Blake Lundy just missed hitting his 13th home run of the season on an RBI double. Junior Jack Schuman also had a triple in the second inning to the base of the wall in center field, 400 feet away from the plate.
Junior left-hander Henry Allen went the distance on the mound for the win as he allowed seven hits and three earned runs while striking out seven batters.
"Our pitching staff has been absolutely nasty," Elie said. "We are nowhere close to where we need to be, but every day we are getting better. We have guys who understand their roles and know how to be a good teammate. I could not be more proud of how they have handled themselves."
McCallie (10-15, 2-6) was led at the plate Wednesday by junior Andrew Rice, who went 3-for-3 with a double and drove in a run.
The Blue Tornado scored two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.
Baylor completes sweep of McCallie with rout at AT&T Field | Chattanooga Times Free Press
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