By Michael Lindsay
The Livingston Academy Wildcats picked up one of their most impressive wins of 2023 Friday evening as they overcame a 3-run deficit to defeat Stone Memorial 6-5 in the winner’s bracket of the District 7/AAA baseball tournament in Baxter.
“They don’t roll over and they absolutely do not quit,” said Livingston head coach Jamie Loftis. “Things didn’t look good in the first inning; we kicked it around and gave them 3. I told the guys ‘Let’s get one here and there and chip away’ and that’s exactly what we did.”
Livingston Academy’s Aaron Moffitt did it all for the Wildcats as the senior pitcher went the distance, striking out 9 while surrendering 8 hits and 1 earned run. Moffitt also delivered at the plate as he went 3-4 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored.
“He said he had it and I knew he did,” Loftis said. “He had 25 pitches left for that last inning. He didn’t have to be perfect, but he had 25. He locked in and we played behind him. It’s not because of one or two guys; it’s a team effort and that’s what’s got us here.”
Livingston’s Quinton Qualls went 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
For Stone Memorial, Braden Looper went 3-4 at the dish with an RBI and a run scored. Looper struck out 5 in 7 innings pitched.
The Panthers looked poised to run away with the victory in the bottom of the first inning as they scored 3 runs via error in the frame.
Despite the less-than-ideal start, Loftis let his team work through the adversity.
“I just let them play after the first inning,” he said. “We were hitting the ball, we were just hitting into bad luck.”
After a scoreless second inning, Livingston Academy got on the board in the top of the third as a Carson Parrott double to left drove in Moffitt to make the score 3-1.
Livingston dialed in at the plate in the top of the fourth inning as a 2 RBI single from Moffitt tied the game at 3 runs each before Tayshawn Hayes drove in 2 more on a double to give the Wildcats a 5-3 advantage.
Stone Memorial pulled back within a run in the bottom of the fourth as Bryce Elmore scored on a wild pitch to make the score 5-4.
Livingston Academy’s Qualls pushed his team’s lead back out to 2 runs in the top of the fifth as a single to left scored Drew Goolsby to give LA a 6-4 advantage.
Stone Memorial again responded with a run in the bottom of the sixth inning as a Tayln Hurd bunt resulted in an LA error, allowing to Elmore find home safely again to make the score 6-5 going to the seventh.
The Panthers would get no closer as Livingston Academy dialed in defensively in the bottom of the seventh. After a highlight-reel catch by centerfielder Ryan Campbell, Qualls caught a fly ball for the second out and put the game away two batters later as a Qualls throw from the outfield to Goolsby gunned out a Stone Memorial baserunner at third to seal the Wildcats’ 6-5 victory.
“Ryan’s catch in center field was a SportsCenter Top 10 catch; it was unreal,” Loftis said. “We kicked some balls tonight, but we made up for it. This is what we’ve done all year long.”
The win is Livingston’s 17th consecutive victory, including two games by a combined 3 runs in the district tournament.
“It shows that the 15 we won in a row by quite a bit wasn’t a fluke,” Loftis said. “I’d rather have won (over DeKalb on Thursday) by 14 runs, but honestly, it was better for us to win 4-2 and battle through adversity.”
Livingston has a short turnaround as the Wildcats are set to face defending Class 3A state champion Upperman Saturday morning at 10 a.m. Upperman defeated Macon Couty on Friday, 14-4.
“We’re going to get a good night’s sleep and take BP at 7 in the morning. That’s tournament baseball; you’re either ready for it or you’re ready to go home.”
