Drew Parker did it again.
The Chipola (Fla.) College freshman pitcher reared back and pumped it in there as hard as he could.
With the game-tying run on third base, Parker threw his 20th pitch of the game 91 mph to strike out Eric Fry Jr. and secure another victory for the Indians in the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series.
Chipola (39-17) defeated San Jacinto (Texas) College-North 7-6 on Wednesday night at Suplizio Field. The Indians are the only team remaining without a loss in the tournament and play Spartanburg (S.C.) Methodist College at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night for a spot in the national championship game Saturday afternoon.
Parker, who picked up the win in the Indians’ first game and a save in their second game, earned another save in the third game.
“Drew throws as hard as he needs to throw then all of a sudden can pump it up to 91,” Chipola coach Jeff Johnson said. “I let him call the last pitch. He called a fastball inside, which I wasn’t going to call.”
Parker limited the Gators to one unearned run on one hit and struck out two in two innings.
He came in relief of Ryan Chaffee (7-2), who kept San Jacinto quiet for six innings.
The freshman from Niceville, Fla., got into trouble in the seventh, giving up a three-run home run to pinch-hitter Quentin Luquette and again in the eighth when he walked the bases loaded.
“I had all my stuff,” Chaffee said. “That was the best I felt in a while. I was on a hot streak before my injury. Drew is my roommate. I trust him with anything I do.”
Johnson called on Parker, who walked Jeremy Barfield, but got the next three out.
“I knew they were the team to beat,” Chaffee said. “I tried to pitch my game. It worked for six. Drew saved my butt.”
Chipola took a 1-0 lead in the third inning with back-to-back singles. Jesus Barroso singled and scored on Brandon Street’s single.
Street ignited the offense again in the sixth with a leadoff triple to the right-center field gap. He scored on Tom Hatcher’s single to left. Hatcher scored on Einar Atencio’s single for a 3-0 lead before Trey Manz scored on a groundout.
San Jacinto got the three runs Chipola scored in the sixth back in the top of the seventh when Luquette rebounded from an 0-2 count to hit a towering three-run home run into the parking lot. It was his first collegiate home run.
Chipola responded in the bottom of the seventh when Daniel Renfro delivered a RBI double and scored when San Jacinto first baseman Taylor Hammack lost the handle on a ground ball to give the Indians a 6-3 lead.
San Jacinto had a chance to take the lead in the eighth, but was limited to two runs when Parker bailed Chaffee out of a bases-loaded jam.
The Indians scored a run in the bottom of the eighth on a wild pitch with San Jacinto one strike away from getting out of the inning. Chipola led 7-5 entering San Jacinto’s final at-bat.
•
Allen Gemaehlich can be reached via e-mail at agemaehlich@gjds.com.
