Backs against the wall, Ty Southall delivers for Georgetown to capture D5 baseball championship
WORCESTER — By the top of the seventh inning of Friday night’s Division 5 championship game, nothing had gone Georgetown’s way.
The Royals, without a hit against English High’s Jaurel Melo, needed something miraculous.
A miracle line drive off the bat of Ty Southall, perhaps.
The junior captain’s two-run triple with two outs in the seventh off reliever Yuniesky Brea wasn’t just the second-seeded Royals’ first hit, it tied the game at 2-2, forcing extras.
Ryan Skahan brought in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth for a 3-2 victory, handing the Royals their first state title since 2012.
There was no doubt in coach Phil Desilets’s mind that Southall would be the guy to do it.
“I told [Southall] before the inning started, ‘You’re going to come up with runners on and get a hit,’ ” Desilets said. “The kid is just nails.”
Southall also fired six innings for the Royals (19-6) and didn’t allow an earned run, striking out five.
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“Not much can beat this, so I’m pretty fired up,” Southall said. “I’m honestly so proud of these guys. There’s no other group I’d rather do it with, and we’re family. I’m glad we could do it all together.”
Southall dueled with an incredible performance from Melo, who gave the Eagles (18-8) 5⅔ no-hit innings with 14 strikeouts. After he hit his pitch limit (due to eight walks), Brea got out of a sixth-inning jam and carried the no-hit bid into the seventh.
The Royals created traffic in the eighth, tying the game on a balk for a moment before the call was reversed after the umpires met. Skahan then came up with the bases loaded and hit a fly ball to center, scoring Nate Anderton to give the Royals their first lead.
The win also avenged the 2024 title game, which English won, 7-1, over Georgetown.
It doesn’t happen without Southall.
“I’m taking vacation next week, and Ty and I are going golfing,” Desilets said. “Absolutely. It’s on me.”
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