Flora makes push towards another title
3A Baseball Playoffs • April 26 & 29, 2008
By Michael Orr

Dreher's Alex Shaw tags out A.C. Flora's Jordan Floyd at first base in the first inning.

Scoring runs in five of the six innings and behind a strong performance by junior pitcher Evan Brown, A.C. Flora advanced to the AAA District IV championship game with a 6- 2 victory over rival Dreher. The game started on April 26 but was postponed in the bottom of the third inning due to torrential rain. It was completed on April 29 at Falcon Field.

Brown struggled in the first inning, allowing two runs off a Woody Horn RBI groundout and a Terrence Pelzer RBI single. The Flora pitcher stranded two runners to get out of the inning and the Falcons trailed by two. Crafty base running in the bottom half of the first brought A.C. Flora back to a tie as Robert Gibbes and Will Freeman wreaked havoc on the base paths. A double steal scored Gibbes from third and Kevin O'Quinn knocked home Freeman with a sacrifice fly to right field.

Aaron Poole opened the Falcons' half of the second with a double to deep right center field and advanced to third on a passed ball. Catcher Jay Wilson sent a sacrifice fly to center scoring Poole and giving Flora its first lead, 3- 2. Brown began pitching extremely well in the second inning and did not let up, never facing more than four batters in any inning the rest of the way.

Photos by Morgen Orr A.C. Flora pitcher Evan Brown fires toward home in the first inning.

With a runner on second and two out in the bottom of the third, the Falcons were interrupted by a sudden thunderstorm. After waiting nearly 45 minutes, the ballgame was postponed. When the game resumed on April 29, Dreher changed pitchers from Case Stiglbauer to Alex Shaw. Flora immediately jumped on Shaw as Jordan Floyd doubled home a run in the third.

More skilled base running in the fifth inning allowed A.C. Flora to extend its lead once again as O'Quinn stole second base, moved to third on a Duy Phan single and scored on a Floyd groundout. In each inning after the first, the Falcons were able to put multiple batters on base but were unable to blow open any inning as Shaw worked his way out of jams in each of the final four innings.

A.C. Flora's Duy Phan

Gibbes tripled to deep left field and scored on a Freeman single to put Flora ahead 6- 2 in the sixth inning. Shaw again worked his way through a tough inning giving the Blue Devils a final opportunity to extend the game. But Brown completed his seven inning, seven hit outing with relative ease, pushing the Falcons toward another district title.

Dreher's Alex Wilcox