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By Jed Blackwell
Sports Editor
Gaffney pitcher Michael Wright wasn’t entirely focused on his exams last week. The freshman pitcher was a little preoccupied once he found out he would be starting the Indians’ state championship game against Wando last Thursday night.
“I didn’t sleep a whole lot,” Wright said after the contest. “Driving to school today, it was pretty much all I could think of. I don’t know how I did on my algebra exam this morning, but maybe I’ve got an excuse.”
Though he wasn’t sure about his performance on his first test, he passed his second with flying colors.
Wright pitched six innings and scattered four hits against the Warriors. helping to lead the Indians to a 4-2 victory and the first state baseball title in school history.
“I was surprised to get the start, but I knew coach had faith in me and I was confident,” Wright said. “It’s a great feeling.”
“He’s a freshman, but he’s got nerves of steel,” Gaffney coach Jeff Osment said of Wright. “He doesn’t care about the pressure. He just loves to compete.”
Wright’s job was made easier by a three-run Gaffney outburst in the first inning that staked the Indians to a 3-0 lead and set the tone for the game. McCrae Norton singled to lead off the game, Cameron Culp followed with a walk, then Josh Mata, Tyler Wilson, and Michael Hughey all singled to put the Indians on top, with Wilson driving in one run and Hughey plating two.
“There was so much pressure,” Hughey said of his big hit. “He threw me a fastball inside on a full count, and I just went with it. I could feel the pressure big time.”
By withstanding the pressure, Hughey took some pressure off his team.
“With (Wando) down one game, we wanted to get them thinking about it a little bit,” Osment said. “We wanted to get on them early, and we were able to do that. I hoped we could keep scoring, though. We got what we could, and it turned out to be enough.”
The Indians added some insurance in the bottom of the fourth, as Thomas Goode drew a walk, advanced on an error, and scored on Norton’s RBI single to put Gaffney on top 4-0.
“I think it gave us some more comfort,” Norton said of his hit. “I definitely think it helped a little.”
Norton, a senior, had praise for his team and for the freshman on the mound.
“Our first inning was huge,” he said. “I felt like that was the game, pretty much. With Michael out there, I had all the confidence in the world in him. He’s a 9th-grader, but he’s got more heart than anybody. It could be the Yankees over in the other dugout, and he’s still gonna throw his ‘A’ game.”
Wando cut the lead in half in the fifth inning. Walks to Connor Bright and Drew Cisco put two men on, a single by Robbie Dodds loaded the bases, and Daniel Aldrich drove in two runs with another single. However, a hot shot by Reid Langdale was turned into an unassisted double play by Gaffney first-baseman Bubba Wright, and the Indians escaped without further damage. Wright would walk two more in the sixth without allowing a run, and Cameron Culp came on in the 7th to slam the door for the Indians.
“I didn’t even think I was going to pitch,” Culp said of his one inning of work. “When he told me to loosen up, I was excited. This is a great way to finish off my last season. Michael pitched a heck of a game, and I was happy to come in and help close it out.”
Culp said the baseball team had watched Gaffney’s softball squad win a state championship at home a day before, which added some urgency to the final inning.
“Seeing them win it at home made us want it more,” he said. “We wanted to dogpile here, on our field.”
Just after firing the game’s final strike, Culp found himself at the bottom of the dogpile, as the Indians claimed their first baseball crown. Coaches and players were ecstatic with the victory.
“Everybody, especially these seniors, just fought and fought all year,” Osment said. “I didn’t throw a pitch. I didn’t make one swing. They bought in to what we were trying to do, and they went out and got it.”
Norton surveyed the scene around him after the game, with coaches and players embracing, carrying the state championshp trophy, and posing for pictures, and put the whole thing in perspective.
“State championships are big, in Gaffney especially,” he said. “This is a big deal, and I’m just glad to be a part of it.”
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