Marist's hitters batter Lakeside

Lakeside High School thought it had found a vulnerability in Class AAAA baseball quarterfinal opponent Marist High.

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The Panthers didn't have the time or personnel to scout the War Eagles before Tuesday's doubleheader, but they had found that Marist's lack of pitching depth might work to their advantage.

Lakeside did its best to exploit that weakness, out-hitting Marist during the two games but falling 13-10, 9-5 after the War Eagles' bats came through when needed.

"They obviously aren't real deep in pitching," Lakeside pitching coach Dan Sneeringer said. "But fundamentally, man, they just hit. They will put the ball in play and glove it in the field."

Marist did not commit an error during the 13 innings its defense was on the field during the series. War Eagles' closer Kyle Farmer, Marist's everyday shortstop who will play at the University of Georgia, shut down the Panthers in the final innings of both games.

The Panthers knew things could have gone differently, as they lingered in shallow right field after the series was done.

The Panthers held a three-run lead in Game 1, and came back from a five-run deficit to tie Game 2.

"We knew we had a chance at beating them," Lakeside senior Patrick Arrington said. "There was no doubt in our minds."

Lakeside appeared poised to force a split of the doubleheader after loading the bases with one out in the fifth inning of Game 2. Marist turned a double play to keep the game tied at 5 and scored four times in the final two innings.

The quarterfinals loss comes after Lakeside had swept its first two rounds, both home series, and the school's first region title since 1996. Lakeside has not won a state title, but reached the final in 1993 before losing to Marist.

Panthers players and coaches thought the result should have been different, because the War Eagles used five pitchers in Game 1 and three in Game 2.

Marist pitcher Evan Geist, who started Game 2, said the War Eagles were well-prepared.

"We knew what we had to do," Geist said. "They're a good team."

Lakeside's Game 2 pitcher, senior Harrison Brawley, charted Marist during the first game, keeping up with the counts and what each hitter did. After spotting Marist five runs during a shaky second inning, Brawley settled down. He held Marist scoreless during the next three innings before running into trouble in the sixth.

Panthers catcher Mike Gram gave the Panthers hope in the third inning, burying a bases-loaded double in the right field corner to score three. Lakeside added two in the fourth before the double play the next inning ended its last real threat.

The Panthers' bullpen was tested for the first time during the postseason in Game 1. Lakeside starter Ryan Hutchins kept Marist off balance through three innings, giving way to Ben Black with two on in the fourth.

The War Eagles piled on six runs during the inning.

They extended the inning with an RBI single at the bottom of the order, a strikeout that got away from catcher Mike Gram, allowing the leadoff man to reach and another run to score.

A bases-loaded walk scored another run and the Panthers trailed 10-7 after entering the bottom of the inning with a three-run cushion.