DOUGLAS, Ga. (WALB) - Citizens Christian Academy sophomore Thomas Gentry earned the final Player of the Week honor after pitching a complete-game shutout in game two of the semifinals.

The right-hander pitched seven innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out 17 batters.

Gentry has not lost a game in 10 appearances this season and has an ERA of 0.83.

Pitching dominance

The Patriots are heading to Statesboro as defending champions, attempting to win back-to-back titles.

Head Coach Jeremy Coram said the pitching duo of Blake Bryant and Gentry makes his job easier.

“You throw those two guys up there, it definitely makes my job a lot easier. They’re competitors, you know, I mean, they’re going to pound the zone. Even when they don’t have their best stuff, they’re going to find a way to get out of jams. You’ve seen Thomas there, leave the guy on third base, multiple innings. And so, yeah, it makes my job definitely a lot easier. And you can tell just the confidence the players have around him. Whenever they’re on the mound, they know we got a chance to win every game,” Coram said.

Batting performance

Gentry also performed at the plate in the semifinals. He went 3 for 3 in game one, scoring three runs and adding a triple. In game two, he had two hits and one RBI.

He is hitting .404 this season.

“I mean, it really shows the work we put in. I’m pumped. The whole day was a testament to the hard work I put in, all of us. We got something special over here, I’ll tell you that. We got a lot of kids that want it, a lot of coaches that want it, and we’ve done everything the right way this year. And we’re going to keep doing it. One more,” Gentry said.

Gentry won a state championship as a freshman and now has a chance to win two titles before entering his junior year.

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