By Thomas Grant Jr.
“Championship Saturday” was celebrated in the town of West Columbia.
A standing room only crowd at the Eagles Nest waited decades for Saturday’s moment.
The Eagles led 8-0 in the sixth inning. With two more runs, they would win Game 2 courtesy of the mercy rule and clinch the school’s first-ever baseball title.
Eager to seal the championship was Braden Gross. Having given Airport an early lead with a bunt which resulted in an error to score two runs, he had an opportunity to end the title drought.
With a single to leftfield, Gross scored brought home Landon Jeffcoat and a sliding Brice Gillette. As he crossed home plate, the players burst out the dugout and the fireworks were released in the outfield skies.
The 10-0 victory wrapped up an 8-0 playoff run for Airport (27-6). For seniors like starting pitcher Hunter Epps, this championship was truly a long time coming.
“I’m never going to forget this moment,” he said. “It’s something that we worked hard for. Four days working out during the summer, this is what we’re used to.”
Head coach Casey Bradwell also dedicated the championship to the community and past Airport figures who passed this year. Among the most notable was late longtime equipment manager Lawrence “LG” Gardner whose family was on hand to receive a championship medal from outgoing athletics director Shane Fidler.
Assistant coach Taylor Bundrick pointed to the team’s starting pitching as key to the playoff success.
‘We used three pitchers the entire post-season,” he said. “Those dudes – Cash (Epps), Hunter and Brice – they just throw strikes. Anytime you throw strikes, that just gives you a chance to win. Our pitching just carried us.”
Hunter Epps continued that trend Saturday. He allowed just four hits, struck out six and walked one in six innings.
With Epps holding the Bobcats at bay, the Airport bats erupted in the Bottom 5th. The Eagles scored five runs, two on a single by Justin Slightler, to extend the lead to 7-0.
Epps led off the sixth with a double and scored on Gillette’s single. After Gillette advanced to second on the throw to home plate and moved to third on a wild pitch, Jeffcoat drew a walk and stole second.
This brought up Gross and his moment in school history.
“Coach Perry kind of started this thing,” Bradwell said. “He kind of set the standard. We got there a couple of times. We just couldn’t finish. I think it just shows you we’ve got good players in this area. We can compete with anybody in the state. That’s what we want to keep going.”
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