Baylor's Nelson McKnight continues to show up in the big moments during his final prep baseball season.
With three starters for the Red Raiders out sick for Wednesday's TSSAA Division II nonregion game between two of Chattanooga's top powers this spring, McKnight delivered the final blow for the home team when he drilled a two-run double off the fence in center field, giving Baylor a 6-5 walk-off win over Boyd Buchanan.
McKnight filled in nicely in the No. 3 spot in the lineup usually occupied by senior star Tomas Valincius, who just missed an opposite-field home run that would have ended the game two batters earlier as he was moved to the leadoff spot due to the missing starters.
"You have to cherish every moment of high school," said McKnight, who went 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs in the regular-season finale. "I realized that after playing my last game in football and never getting to have another practice. I know this is not going to last forever, so I make it a point to live in every moment that I can.
"You just have to trust the Lord at all times and be ready for anything he brings your way. At the end of the day, when you go back to thinking about these sports, it's the people and the moments you share with your brothers you remember the most."
While Baylor (21-5) certainly looks the part of a state championship contender in DII-AA, the same can be said for Boyd Buchanan (27-4) in DII-A.
Junior second baseman Haden Griffith delivered a go-ahead two-run double in the top of the fourth inning that he blasted over the left fielder's head to give the Buccaneers a 4-3 lead. Meanwhile, senior sensation Brodie Johnston reached base safely in all four of his plate appearances.
Johnston, who is projected to be an early-round pick in the MLB draft this summer, had an RBI double to right-center in his first at-bat and singled to right in his second plate appearance. Baylor's pitching staff refused to throw him anything the rest of the night as they intentionally walked him and threw everything off the plate in his next at-bat. And for good reason, as Johnston leads the area with a .567 batting average with 51 hits in 90 at-bats this season.
Jonathan Tinker also had a big performance at the plate for the Bucs as the designated hitter had two sharp singles and scored twice.
Baylor reliever Brody Womack earned the victory after entering in a tight situation. He took the mound with two runners on and no one out in the top of the sixth and the Red Raiders down 5-3, but he went on to induce five of his six outs on the ground over two perfect frames.
The Red Raiders, who used 16 players Wednesday, sent six to the plate in the bottom of the seventh without drawing an out. Graham King was hit by a pitch, followed by a walk to Henry Allen and the hit by Valincius that was nearly a three-run homer but turned into a long single. Zack Morrison drew an RBI walk to pull Baylor within 5-4 and set up McKnight's heroics.
"We have seen Nelly do this in two sports now here at Baylor," Baylor co-head coach Mike Kinney said of McKnight, who had a 98-yard strip-fumble recovery for a touchdown when the Red Raiders faced McCallie in the TSSAA Division II-AAA BlueCross Bowl state title game last football season.
"In the biggest environments, he seems to have a knack for being able to come through. It's not always pretty, but it's the competitive spirit he has that we all love and appreciate."
With the DII-AA East Region championship game scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday against either Knoxville Catholic or McCallie, Baylor's clutch senior hopes he and his teammates are beginning a special few weeks on the diamond that will provide a happy ending to his prep career.
"For me, this final run is all about winning state," McKnight said. "That is our No. 1 goal. But every win you get is a good one."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.