On a night that was anything but typical, it seemed fitting that the opening matchup of the South State Championship series between Columbia Academy and Oak Forest Academy would have an atypical ending. After a weather delay pushed the start time back nearly two hours, the Cougars started out slow before finding themselves in a 5-5 tie heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. With the bases loaded, Logan Buckley stepped into the batter’s box, needing a deep fly ball to secure the victory. He got that and plenty more. The freshman sent a ball towering over the left-center field wall to leave no doubt, cranking a walk-off grand slam and bringing the Cougars one game away from clinching a state championship berth.
“That’s Logan in a nutshell. He didn’t have his best night at the plate, but he’s in the three-hole for a reason,” Columbia Academy head coach Keith Stanley said of Buckley's heroics. “He just does what big time players do. He stepped up in a big time and delivered.”
The Cougars came back from multiple deficits in the game, including a sixth inning rally. Oak Forest quickly jumped ahead to a 1-0 lead after a solo home run in the first inning. The Cougars took the lead in the fourth inning after a pair of bases-loaded walks and an RBI single by Holdyn Sandifer.
Holton Hartzog pitched a strong four innings before “running out of gas” in the fifth inning, as Stanley put it. Things fell apart for Hartzog as he allowed an RBI single followed by a three-run double to give Oak Forest a 5-3 lead. Zeke Todd entered in relief and recorded the win after his two shutout innings put the Cougars in prime position. Columbia Academy tied the game at 5-5 in the sixth following a two-run hit by Trent Buckley before his older brother eventually sent everyone home celebrating.
“I don’t know if I can say it without getting emotional. I’m just so proud of them,” Stanley said after the game. “Everybody needs to know that it has nothing to do with the coaches. It’s all about these kids. They show up and do what they’re supposed to do. They do what we ask them, and they just get after it. I’m proud to call them my kids.”
The Cougars look to advance to the state championship for the first time since 2017 tonight at Oak Forest.
