Landry Long | The Echo
Bottom of the seventh. No outs. Junior pinch runner Nathan Shelton stands anxiously on third after replacing freshman Nathan Targgart, who led the inning off with a walk. The senior hitting machine Lincoln Reed stands confidently on second after delivering with a single to right. Senior Kevin Fahy stands on first after a beautifully executed bunt. Senior Jake West steps to the plate as the excitement is about to bubble over. A single by West sends an ecstatic Shelton to the plate as the bench begins to clear, and a mob soon forms around West over at first base with a final score of 2-1. The Taylor baseball team (37-16, 19-7 CL) is the 2016 Crossroads League Champion.
Fahy reflected on his thoughts during the moments before the title was clinched when the bases were loaded as West delivered, sending a rope past the third baseman.
"At that point (I felt) pretty confident with it because it was no outs and Jake's a great hitter, so it was clutch at that moment," Fahy said. "I had full faith in Jake that he would get it done right there, and he did."
The team came into Monday's doubleheader against Bethel knowing they had to win one of the next four games in the coming week, but their focus was on getting it done right away.
Sophomore Matt Patton got the start for the Trojans on the mound and held the Pilots to one run over 4.1 innings, while freshman Andrew Feldman followed with two scoreless frames. Sophomore Rob Fox rounded out the pitching by earning two outs in the top of the seventh, and Reed finished the inning by picking off a base runner.
The offense was punctuated by hits from senior Brian Moore, sophomore Sam Wiese, Targgart, Reed and two hits, including the walk-off, from West.
After earning his seventh league title in his 12-year tenure, head coach Kyle Gould understands the effort his team has put in this year so far and was proud to see it pay dividends.
"I was very happy for the guys," Gould said. "They have put so much time and hard work in to have a chance to win a conference championship, and seeing them accomplish that goal was great. It takes more time and more effort to be excellent at something, and these guys have done that."
The second game resulted in a 4-2 loss for the Trojans in extra innings as the Pilots were able to salvage a split.
West and Moore accumulated two more hits in the contest, while sophomore Tanner Watson walked three times and stole two bases.
Senior Ryan Masters commented on the relaxed and confident mindset of the team coming into the week.
"Our freshman year, we won it and we kind of clinched it at the very end of the year, maybe one of the last couple games, and so there wasn't as much pressure since we knew we only had to win one of four," Masters said. "We had a good idea that we were going to do it. It was a pretty relaxed week knowing that, but obviously it was good to get that win in."
The Trojans wrapped up the week on Tuesday with a split at Huntington and now are preparing for the Crossroads League Tournament. While a bid to the national tournament was already achieved due to claiming the league title, Gould is making sure to keep the team priorities in check and take it one game at a time.
"We are excited to host the conference tournament and look forward to competing for a post-season championship," Gould said. "After that, I am excited for the guys to experience it and hope we can go to wherever they send us and play our best baseball of the year."
The Trojans kick off the Crossroads League tournament on Saturday as they host No. 8-seeded Saint Francis. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
"Photograph provided by TU Sports Information Department"
