Providence Christian Springs With Success

Providence Christian Academy baseball and boys soccer players have more resolve than ever to win state championships next season.

Both went farther than ever by reaching Class A finals this spring, but fell disappointingly short of the school's first titles in both sports.

Despite the soccer team's quick start at Walker three weeks ago, it lost, 3-1. Likewise, Providence's baseball team went all the way to the best-of-three championship series at Hebron Christian on Saturday, but were swept, 6-5 and 6-3.

Soccer was first to set the stage this spring with a 16-6 season that took the Stars to the brink of the championship. After twice winning five straight games during the regular season, the Stars beat First Presbyterian, Savannah Country Day and Pace Academy in the playoffs before falling short against Walker.

Matt McGlamery scored a header goal off a throw-in from Brent Hansen in the third minute, but the Stars couldn't hold that 1-0 lead. Walker equalized in the 29th minute, took the lead in the 32nd, and established their final margin less than a minute before halftime. The Stars couldn't cash in several other chances, including Caleb McQuaig's chance early in the second half, Taylor Marshall's effort barely wide in the 61st minute and Hansen's in the 67th.

“Inch here, inch there...,” Stars coach Todd Henry said. “We had a couple of opportunities. It’s a game of inches.”

Providence baseball players, a round beyond their previous-best semifinal appearance of 2008, came similarly close to winning a title last weekend. They overcame a 4-0 deficit and led Saturday's doubleheader opener 5-4, but lost on a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning. In the nightcap, the Stars were baffled by Hebron pitcher Mason Felts, striking out 16 times.

Even Christin Stewart’s 26th home run of the season, which broke the record set in 2002 by Gainesville’s Micah Owings, was too little to overtake the Lions.

Providence was able to rebound from losing Game 1 of its semifinal series against Truetlen, but couldn't get past Hebron, which the Stars swept in the second round last season.

"We battled hard and showed a lot of heart throughout (this) season," Providence coach Adam Cantrell said. "We ran into a good Hebron team and they were better than us today."

Stars first baseman Steven Slaughter termed Saturday's excitement frenetic, with Providence's graduation at 10 a.m. and the Hebron doubleheader at 3 p.m.

"It was cool watching the seniors graduate, then going straight to the game and seeing all the people there," he said. "I saw more blue and red and more people in the stands than I think I've ever seen before."