In-game blogging from the Class AAAA state baseball semis.....Marist at Greenbrier

NOTE: This blog is updated live from the GHSA Class AAAA baseball semifinal playoff series between Greenbrier and longtime private school nemesis Marist.

Scroll down to the bottom for the latest updates from Greenbrier's baseball complex.

2:05 PM: Greenbrier starter Brandon Cumpton needed only 11 pitches to set the War Eagles down in order in the top of the first.

He struck out the Marist leadoff man Will Darby with a 2-2 fastball and then got another fly out to left on a 2-2 count. Marist ended the inning with a line out to third.

We're already in the bottom of the first. Greenbrier's Jeff Rowland led off with a double. He came into the series hitting .439 on the year. That figure leads the team.

2:08 PM: SCORING UPDATE: Greenbrier junior Nolan Belcher just drove home Rowland with a seeing-eye single that bounded over the head of the Marist second baseman.

Nobody is out in the bottom of the first. Greenbrier 1, Marist 0

2:15 PM: Greenbrier ended its turn in the first when cleanup hitter Brandon Cumpton lined into a double play. He lined out to third and Pat McGowan was doubled up off first.

2:16 PM: Marist just erased its first break. The War Eagles' first hit and first base runner of the game was just picked off first. Chris Gutschenritter now has a dirty uniform for all the wrong reasons.

There is one out in the top of the second. Greenbrier leads 1-0 in the first game of today's doubleheader. The third game will be at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, if necessary.

We're heading into the bottom of the second inning. Greenbrier senior catcher Russ Winter will lead off the inning for the defending state champions.

2:31 PM: We're in the top of the third inning. Greenbrier still leads 1-0. Rowland is up with a Wolfpack runner on first.  

Marist senior John Pemberton is struggling with his location. He just gave up another 3-1 single to Rowland. The Wolfpack have runners at the corners with nobody out.

Junior pitcher/outfielder Nolan Belcher is up. Marist coach Brian Strickland has just called time for an infield conference with Pemberton and his team.

This is an important moment as one or even two runs here would just about put this contest out of reach with Cumpton on the mound.  Both he and Belcher have earned run averages under 1.00 for the season.

Belcher just had almost the exact same RBI single that he had in the first inning. Same bounces. Same hole between first and hole. Same hop just over the glove of the Marist second baseman.

Greenbrier leads the first game of today's doubleheader 2-0.

2:40 PM: The rout is on. Greenbrier added a ground-rule double from cleanup man Brandon Cumpton. Cumpton tacked another two RBI onto his team-leading total to score Rowland and Belcher.

Russ Winter then scored McGowan off a sac fly to deep center to stake his team to a 5-0 lead.

Ryan Cato then reached on his ground ball to third that scored another Wolfpack run.

Marist finally held after a Greenbrier double to right was turned into a double play as the Wolfpack runners tried to get too aggressive. Ryan Cato was tagged out trying to reach home after his teammate allowed himself to get caught in a rundown between second and third.

That's the first bit of good news for the visitors. That's an inning they will not likely recover from against a team that pitches as well as Greenbrier.

We're in the top of the fourth inning. Greenbrier leads 6-0.

3:00 PM: There are still two innings to go. I am sure that some coach could come up witth an inspiring Yogi Berra speech. But this one is over. Waaaay over. Done. Finito.

Rowland and Belcher rapped out back-to-back stand-up triples off Pemberton in the bottom of the fourth. Belcher's scored Rowland. Belcher already has three RBI in his first three trips up to the plate.

Rowland also has three hits as the Wolfpack lead 7-0 in the first game of today's doubleheader.

3:14 PM: Maybe I should say there's no way I will ever inherit $20 million dollars from an uncle I didn't even know I had. Because the War Eagles are trying to make my eat my words about saying this one is over.

Marist showed its first life of the series at the plate with three straight singles off Cumpton followed by an out. Then another walk and a single.

Marist scratched out two runs off Cumpton, but they did leave the bases loaded after Cumpton got a pop-up to short to escape his first real jam of the day. 

We're heading to the bottom of the fifth. Greenbrier 7, Marist 2.

3:30 PM: Here's a case in point for how the day has gone so far for the War Eagles. Marist got a leadoff double from promising sophomore Kyle Farmer. Marist then brought in a pinch-runner.

Said runner then probably lost his pinch-running duty for the rest of the season by seeing a ball take a hop or two off the chest protector of Greenbrier catcher Russ Winter. So the Marist runner tried to take third.

Folks, maybe Deion Sanders could have gotten to third. Maybe. But this kid was no Deion Sanders. He was out about a step before he attempted his slide.

We're heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. Greenbrier's Adam King is up.

Greenbrier 7, Marist 2.

3:45 PM: Greenbrier's offensive machine revved back up in its second inning facing Marist senior reliever Billy Banks.

Damien Lucree doubled. That was followed by an intentional walk to Jeff Rowland. Nick Richards came in to hit for a hot-swining Belcher. The only reason for that was to get Belcher out of the sun for a little bit before he starts today's second game.

Richards promptly doubled. Then a funny thing happened. Rowland was held up rounding second base by a Marist infielder. The boys in blue never saw it and Rowland was only able to get to third. Richards took two bases and the fastest man on the Greenbrier team could only move as far along as his 6-foot-4, 210-pound teammate.

Hmmm. Richards did drive in Lucree to make it an 8-2 Greenbrier lead.

Anyway, Patrick McGowan came up and made that debate a moot point. McGowan drove in Rowland and Richards. Greenbrier still has the bases loaded against Banks with two men out.

Anybody out there fired up the grill yet? The way the Wolfpack is feasting on Marist pitching has me hungry for a cheeseburger. Or a good Johnsonville brat.

Greenbrier leads Marist 10-2 with two out in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Wolfpack have gotten tremendous production from the top two hitters in their lineup. The team's Nos. 1-2 hitters have seven hits and have scored eight runs. They've also knocked in four of the team's 12 runs.

It still looks like Greenbrier will extend its winning streak to 26 games.

4:18 PM: After a wee hiccup of technical difficulties, the blog is up again.

When last we spoke, Greenbrier held a 10-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Wolfpack's Brandon Cumpton gave up the first career homer of any kind to Marist's Garrison Weir.

That was all the scoring for the first game. Greenbrier extended its winning streak to 26 games. Nolan Belcher takes the hill for the 'Pack in the second game of today's doubleheader.

Marist lost a chance in the first game as Greenbrier starter Brandon Cumpton gave up six hits and three runs. He was merely good, and not his usual overpowering 10-strikeout and three-hit shutout self.

That would have had his team in jeopardy if not for his team's dynamic performance at the plate.

The Wolfpack's 10 runs made quite a statement. It's not likely that Greenbrier junior Nolan Belcher will need half that many runs in today's second game.

Game One Final: Greenbrier 10, Marist 3. Greenbrier leads the best-of-3 series 1-0.

5:08 PM: Greenbrier just pushed its first runner of Game Two home in the top of the second. Russ Winter singled. Ryan Cato reached on an error by the first baseman. Cato would have been out on a play up the line, but the ball tumbled out of first baseman Chris Gutschenritter's mitt.

Adam King sacrificed those runners up another base.

Winter's run came in on a wild pitch by Marist starter John Stembridge. Damien Lucree then drove home Cato with his RBI single.

We're heading into the bottom of the second inning. Greenbrier leads the Class AAAA state semifinal series 1-0. The Wolfpack lead Marist 2-0 in today's second game.

5:25 PM: How big a shadow does 5-foot-7 southpaw Nolan Belcher cast?

Consider this: There is a pair of jubilant fellows sitting to my right side here at the game that have already declared this series over because Belcher has a two-run lead.

His numbers back that up. Belcher has only lost one game in his career. That came earlier this year against Russell County. He won't admit it, but Belcher was just working his way back into pitching shape after playing a full basketball season at Greenbrier

But the kid's makeup is even more refreshing. He won't make that excuse in a day and age where it seems like adults and kids included have an excuse for every single thing that might not go their way.

"I just wasn't sharp," Belcher said. "They beat us. I wasn't as good as it needed to be in that game to win. They just got me. That's all there is to say."

He came into the year 25-0 in two varsity seasons. He was the ace on a state champion team in each of those seasons. Belcher joined Greenbrier last season after pitching Augusta Christian to a South Carolina Independent Schools Association Class AAA title as a freshman.

Belcher came into play today 8-1 for the year with 107 strikeouts in 57 innings. His earned run average sat at 0.74.

He's now 33-1 in his three-year schoolboy career with what looks to be a team on the way to pitching in the state finals for the third time in his three varsity seasons.

That's no coincidence.

Belcher and his Wolfpack lead Marist 2-0 with two men out in the top of the third inning. He's given up just one hit. That was the only Marist hitter to reach so far during today's second game.

Greenbrier 2, Marist 0. Heading into the bottom of the third inning now.

5:50 PM: How good is Greenbrier going right now? Well, besides the team's current 26-game win streak there's another interesting factoid.

It came up when I asked coach Rodney Holder when was the last time his team TRAILED during any game this season.

Holder thought for a second. It was a brain tease. He thought it had to be either the team's region tournament opener against Brunswick or the team's second game against Statesboro during the regular season on April 11.

The Brunswick game was on May 1.

What's the correct answer? I thank fellow scribe Billy Byler of the Columbia County News-Times for the answer. The Wolfpack actually trailed Effingham County 1-0 on May 4.

So Holder wasn't right. But his rationale lends a little insight into just how strong his club has been playing over its last 26 games.

6:00 PM: Marist got to Belcher for a run in the bottom of the fourth. Gutschenritter singled in Patrick Miller, who led off the inning with a single. Miller advanced to second on a stolen base and then came in off Gutschenritter's hit.

That cut Greenbrier's lead in half at 2-1.

It didn't stay that way long. The Wolfpack are in the middle of a great counterpunch of an inning. Greenbrier currently has four-run inning with two men out.

Greenbrier 6, Marist 1. We're in the top of the fifth inning.

6:15 PM: For those that are wondering, the Class AAAA state championship series begins on Friday. If the thinkable happens and Greenbrier holds on to this five-run lead with perhaps the top junior pitcher in the state on the mound, the Wolfpack would play again this Friday.

Coach Rodney Holder is looking for a 4 p.m. start.

The school would be seeking its fifth state baseball championship since opening its doors in 1996.

It's still all Greenbrier. The Wolfpack lead Marist 6-1 in the top of the sixth inning.

6:30 PM: If there's a word for more than hot, that's where Greenbrier No.9 hitter Damien Lucree is right now. Greenbrier's senior shortstop now has eight hits during the last two rounds of the playoffs.

He had three hits in six at-bats against Woodland last week. He has rapped out another five hits today.

He's just one of several hitters who have had a fine day at the plate. Jeff Rowland has four hits. Nolan Belcher has four hits. Pat McGowman has four hits in two games.

We're in the top of the seventh inning. Marist got another run off Belcher in the top of the sixth.

Greenbrier 6, Marist 2. Top of the seventh inning. Greenbrier is up at the plate. There are two men out.   

6:50 PM: It's over. Greenbrier will play to defend its state title again on Friday. The Wolfpack will be at home against the winner of today's Lee County-Heritage series.

Greenbrier takes the second game by a 6-2 count. The Wolfpack won the first game 10-3. Greenbrier wins the best-of-3 series 2-0.

Game One starter Brandon Cumpton improves to 10-1 on the mound. Game Two starter Nolan Belcher moves to 9-1. After starting out the season with losses in four of their first six games, the Wolfpack (29-4) have now won 27 consecutive games.