By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Baseball has its own unique vernacular, the language of the dugout, phrases that would be out of place anywhere else. In the diamond dialect, coaches and players often reference “winning the at-bat.” What exactly does that mean?
In the Bedford North Lawrence dictionary, that definition will start with a picture of Grady Dalton and reference the pivotal moment of a sectional triumph. Spoiler alert! Dalton came through with one of the clutch hits of the season, although how he got there is the real story.
Dalton’s two-out, two-run single cracked a 1-1 deadlock in the third inning, igniting the fuse on a late-night 6-1 victory over Silver Creek in the first round of the Class 4A sectional. The Stars (14-9) advanced to face Floyd Central in the semifinal round on Saturday afternoon.
BNL hurlers Cutler Chastain and Maddox Garrison combined on a two-hitter, with that duo totaling 15 strikeouts. The Stars scored their first four runs after the first two batters of the inning were retired, which is a great combination for postseason success.
On a damp night, following two rain delays that prolonged the opening clash between Floyd Central and New Albany, with wet feet and heavy baseballs, Dalton delivered in the darkness. With the bases loaded in the third inning, he fouled off six pitches – including four straight with two strikes – before finally connecting for a sharp single to left that plated two runs and set the tone for a win that avenged a regular-season loss to the Dragons.
Silver Creek pitcher Luke Ott kept firing quality pitches, Dalton kept fighting them off. Then he ‘won’ the confrontation with the hit that broke the deadlock and Silver Creek’s spirit.
“That’s what I’ve done all year, trying to be a tough out, battling pitches off,” Dalton said. “Before every pitch, it’s ’win, win.’
“I finally got the fastball. The others I fouled off, they were close, but couldn’t really hit them, but they could have been called a strike. I finally got the one I could shoot to left field.”
That entire inning was a blueprint for battling. Cam Gates started the rally with ripped single to left, Jackson Jones followed with a single to left, and Chastain smacked a single to center for the first run. After Jaden Gilbert walked to load the bases, that set up the Dalton-Ott duel.
“One of the best at-bats of our season,” BNL coach Steven McNabb said. “They stand out because of the grit, the toughness, the approach that Grady has in there. That’s what baseball in the postseason is all about. It’s two-out runs.”
BNL added on with another two-out strike in the fourth. Reece Goodgame and Gates reached on errors, and Goodgame scampered home on two wild pitches for a 4-1 lead. The Stars added important insurance runs in the seventh on RBI singles by Gilbert and Chase Rynders.
The Dragons (16-11) scored first in the second inning, as Jerron Miles walked, Jaylen Grant dropped a perfect sacrifice bunt, and Jack Murphy snapped a liner just inside the left-field line for a RBI double. But the only other Silver Creek hit was a Grant double to lead off the fourth.
“You can score the first run of the game, but if you don’t score any after that, you’re probably going to get beat,” Silver Creek coach Shane Roberts said. “Chastain was tough. He threw his fastball well. He’s good for a reason.”
Chastain, an Indiana State recruit, was not working with his expected sharpness. He was dodging more traffic than Frogger (remember that video game?) during his four innings. But he avoided damage with 10 strikeouts.
“We ran into a guy on the mound that’s pretty good,” Roberts said. “He’s a strikeout guy, he lived on the strikeout. We couldn’t get anything with anyone on base.”
When McNabb changed pitchers, Garrison was charged with protecting a 4-1 advantage. All he did was strike out five and retire the last eight batters he faced as fog started to roll across the outfield.
“Cutler didn’t have his best stuff. He told me that,” McNabb said. “What can you say about Maddox Garrison? That guy has come along. His time is now, what a performance.”
BNL’s six hits were scattered and divided equally among the first six in the batting order. Gates scored twice.
“The guys were focused, they were sharp, they were loose,” McNabb said. “They like these moments. They play their best when the pressure is on. It’s that win-or-go-home mentality.”
Now the Stars face a rematch with the Highlanders, who crushed BNL 20-0 in the season opener on March 31 at Floyd.
”We’re excited,” McNabb said. “That was one of the worst lopsided losses in BNL baseball history. That’s not the team we are today. I like our chances if we continue to play good baseball.”
“We’re a more complete team,” Dalton said.
Floyd (18-8) reached the semifinal with a waterlogged 9-1 win over the Bulldogs. In the other semifinal, Jeffersonville will face Seymour. The winners will collide in the championship on Monday.
