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Aidan Brinsfield was a painter Friday afternoon, the strike zone his canvas.
His first three innings in Friday’s Class 2A quarterfinal weren’t quite a masterpiece, giving up two runs. But then he found his stuff.
Parkside’s 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior ace struck out two straight in the fourth inning, mowed down two more with two runners on and one out in the fifth to escape a jam, and finally strutted off the mound in the sixth unscathed.
Brinsfield’s 100-plus pitch performance powered No. 6 seed Parkside to a 3-2 road win over No. 3 Fallston in a 2A state quarterfinal. The Rams will play Sparrows Point on Tuesday for a spot in the state championship game.
“I had all three pitches working well. I was just trying to hit spots and get through the game,” Brinsfield said, after throwing six innings with 11 strikeouts and allowing five hits. “Around the fourth inning, I had all my pitches working and I was starting to lock in. I felt really good.”
“He’s our dog,” Rams coach Kyle Daubert added. “Aidan came in the dugout, I told him, ‘Control yourself. Relax, you got this. You need to throw me six innings. If you get me through six, we’ll let the bullpen finish it.’”
It was an outing worthy of a championship belt. Or, at least it was for the Rams and their newly formed tradition of awarding the WWE replica to the winning pitcher, which started after their second win against Stephen Decatur on April 26.
The Cougars were knocking on the doorstep from start to finish.
An RBI double from Nathan Slicher tied the game at 1 after one. But the Rams got a bang-bang play at the plate for their third and eventual decisive run off a single to right field from center fielder John Smith, who finished with three hits and three RBIs.
Fallston had opportunities but couldn’t get the ball to bounce its way.
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“The other one that I thought was right there,” Fallston coach Grant Morlock said, “In the sixth inning, Logan White turns on a ball, hits it down the line and the guy off first base scores with ease if that ball lands an inch or two [over to make it] fair.
“Just a couple things that could’ve gone our way. We’ve been in so many tight games this year that we’re comfortable in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. I’m just proud of what they’ve done.”
Fallston’s 17 wins are the program’s most in 14 years, according to Morlock. The Cougars had a chance to extend that number in the seventh inning but left two runners stranded.
Brinsfield was relieved for that final inning by Zach Robinson. The senior struck out one, walked one and gave up one hit before a flyout to left sealed the win.
“Zach is a kid, you don’t have to say anything to him, he lives for the big moments,” Daubert said. “He knew he had to come in and get his three outs. That was his job. He doesn’t try to overpower you. He throws strikes and gets the job done. He believes in himself and he does not get rattled.”
Jake Baugess-Kimes was the only Cougars hitter to muster much against Parkside’s staff. He finished with three hits and a run. Finley Jourdan, Jason Foxx and Slicher each contributed hits.