Southside baseball coach Dale Harpenau knows a thing or two about baseball vibes. When it's good, you find ways to win baseball games.

When it's not good, you find ways to lose. Sometimes, you don't catch breaks, either.



Southside's Mac Moody hit a long drive to deep center that Greenwood's Colton Sagely flagged down for the final out to preserve a 1-0 victory at Forsgren Field on Monday.

The snake-bitten Mavericks dropped to 0-4 at home.

The bus-weary Bulldogs, who returned home from Atlanta early Sunday morning, are now 9-5.

"I thought when he (Moody) hit, I honestly thought it had a chance," Harpenau said. "I also thought if it didn't get down that we were going to score from first. That kid (Sagely) made a heck of a catch."

Sagely's game-saving catch capped Ryan Daggs' big day on the mound.

The senior right-hander struck out six and was within a few pitches of exceeding his 110-pitch limit.

"He (Daggs) does exactly what we talk about; pitch to contact," Greenwood coach Trey Holloway said. "For eight innings, to throw 108 pitches, that's just phenomenal. He's not going to go up there and overpower anybody, but he's going to hit his spots and throw breaking pitches for strikes."


On more than one occasion, Daggs wasn't afraid to throw his breaking pitch on a full count.

"We did that a couple of times on 3-2 counts," Holloway said. "Usually, people are looking for fastballs, but we have the confidence in our secondary pitches to go out there and throw strikes. He can throw his curveball at any time."

Greenwood (9-5) scored the game's only run in the eighth when Dylan Montgomery singled, moved to second on Daggs' sacrifice, and score on Jake Smith's RBI double to right.

One run was all Daggs needed. Barely.

"We were looking to get our leadoff guy on, and if you look that's the only inning we got our leadoff guy on," Holloway said. "That's what we've been looking to do the last two weeks, to find a way to get our leadoff guy on and be able to move him over and drive him in. If we get the leadoff hitter on, we have a good chance to drive him in."

Southside (5-8) wasn't without its chances. Wade Robertson walked to open the second, and Moody reached on an error to open the Mavericks' sixth.

After taking second on Jake Melton's sacrifice bunt, Robertson lined a ball that third baseman Connor Noland snagged and whipped a throw to second baseman Cooper Van Kooten to double up Moody to end the inning. It's been that way for the Mavericks at home.


Southside senior Ryan Horn wasn't flashy, either. But he was getting quick outs.

The right-hander allowed a two-out single to Cody Smith in the second and, except for three walks and a hit batter, sailed into the eighth with a sparkling one-hitter.

Montgomery spoiled the good outing with a single, and scored when Smith, the Bulldogs' No. 9 hitter, slapped his game-winner to right.

"I told Jake, 'Hey man, you're about to get a hit right here.' And he gets a hit," Holloway said. "I love the kid; we have confidence in every one of these guys. We're they're biggest cheerleaders. We're going to tell them we want them to swing the bat."

"I thought both guys pitched really well," Harpenau said. "I"m happy for Ryan, but it's a tough one for him to lose. I thought he went out there today and pitched really, really well."
