ACE baseball to play game at Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park

The ACE Gryphons baseball team will play in the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park north of Atlanta this Friday in the second installment of a series at the MLB stadium.

ACE faced off against Baconton Charter last year — the Gryphons won the game at Truist 6-4 over the Blazers — and will rematch with them at 7 p.m. Friday in an event organized by parents, teachers and coaches at the school.

The path to playing in Truist isn’t easy, as the Braves only partner with a few high school teams each year. Teams must sign up early before those spots fill up and commit to selling 2,000 tickets to a regular season Braves game. 

The ACE baseball booster club and team, in addition to having to sell the tickets, raised the necessary funds to send the team to Atlanta. The memories made are worth it, according to head coach Josh McLendon.

“Getting on the field and seeing the guys light up getting to live out a dream is something you never forget, and putting together a three-run fifth inning to take the lead was a great moment,” McLendon said.

Current senior Brice Whitley’s favorite memory from last year was a no-brainer: his laser-beam throw from center field to pitcher William Makowski covering home plate to shut down a potential Baconton rally was the highlight for him.

ACE shortstop Jake McLendon said he’ll never forget his three-run triple to give his teammates the lead. 

“The rally we had coming from down to win the game and getting to compete at a high level on a major league baseball field with my teammates was one of the coolest experiences of my life,” he said.

And for William Makowski, one of ACE’s star pitchers, just the experience was enough to be memorable. 

“Being surrounded by my teammates after making the last out was the greatest moment,” Makowski said.

Each player and coach had a special moment, something McLendon was hoping for. More memories will be made Friday when the team returns to Truist. 

Last year’s game

After the pregame introductions, the ACE offense couldn’t get any runners on base against Blazers starter Reid Shiver. Gryphons senior Jack Corrigan took the mound for ACE, but the Baconton bats were ready. The Blazers had multiple hits, though the Gryphon defense held them to a single run. ACE couldn’t answer in the bottom of the first. 

Neither team scored in the second inning. 

ACE tied the game in the top of the third, but the Baconton offense erupted in the bottom half of the frame, plating three runs. In the top of the fourth ACE cut the lead in half to 4-2.

Makowski, then a freshman, took the mound for the Gryphons in the bottom of the 4th, and the Blazers had multiple runners reach base. Current senior Brice Whitley gunned down a runner at the plate to end any hopes of adding insurance runs.

Whitley’s play ignited the Gryphon bats in the top of the fifth, as ACE plated three runs and took its first lead of the game. After the Gryphons loaded the bases, Jake McLendon delivered a three-run scoring triple.

Makowski and the Gryphon defense held in the bottom of the fifth as ACE clung to a 5-4 lead heading into the sixth inning. An insurance run extended the lead to two, and Makowski closed out the final frame for the win. The Gryphons flocked to the mound, surrounding the freshman and savoring the victory.

Baconton enters this year’s matchup 22-1 overall and 14-0 in region play, ACE is 16-8 overall and 14-1 in its region. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday evening.