Michael Farr could see it right in front of him. He was playing first base in the opener of Evans' second-round Class AAAA state baseball playoff series against Glynn Academy, when the Terrors put 16 players on base.
Farr figured he would have to be sharp pitching the second game, and he answered the challenge, hurling a complete-game four-hitter to keep Evans' season alive in a 7-1 second-game win.
His performance came after Glynn Academy smoked the Knights 11-2 in the opener to end the home team's 13-game winning streak.
"Two completely different games," Evans coach Ricky Beale said.
The teams will play one game at 4 p.m. today at Evans to decide the series. The winner advances to the state quarterfinals next Tuesday at Loganville, the team that beat Greenbrier a season ago on its way to the state title. Loganville swept Lakeside-DeKalb in the second round.
Farr allowed a leadoff single to Logan Jones in the second game. He didn't allow another hit until Jones led off the sixth inning with a single. By that time, Evans had grabbed a six-run lead.
Jeff Rice tripled in Tevin Nelson and later scored what proved to be the winning run in the second inning.
Catcher Tyler Barden, whom Beale said is "99 percent" likely to start today's decisive game, singled three times. Evans finished with 10 hits in the second game. Only two of its four hits in the first game left the infield.
"We always tell our kids that no matter what happens in the first game, you can always turn things around," Beale said.
Farr, citing a live fastball, said he gained confidence by striking out two batters in the first inning
"I knew I was going to have to have a good game," said Farr, a junior who pitched for the junior varsity a year ago. He won for the sixth time in seven decisions.
Glynn Academy, coming off perhaps the top performance of any team in the tournament: a road sweep of top-ranked Lee County, hit three home runs in the first game on its way to 12 hits. That included back-to-back homers in the sixth inning, which surprised coach Chuck Fehr.
He said his team had only hit "about six" home runs all season.
Fehr, who is retiring after 33 seasons coaching the Terrors, said he was "just happy to be coaching one more day."
Of his team's offensive struggles in the second game after looking so crisp in the opener, he said: "We hit some good ones, just hit them right at people."
Reach Matt Middleton at (706) 823-3425 or matt.middleton@augustachronicle.com.
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