Marengo Academy head coach Jonathan Lindsey said early in the week that his team had a tall order to fill in its opening round playoff matchup with Springwood. Four innings into game one of the series, his Longhorns were flat.

With his team down 6-1, Lindsey did what he has so many times this year. He handed the ball to junior Michael Martin.

The young man known as “Pie” to his teammates responded accordingly. He kept the Wildcats at bay, striking out five and limiting them to one run over four innings of work.

But it was at the plate where Martin nailed down the victory. He picked up an RBI during the team’s five-run seventh inning rally when he was struck by a pitch. He then came around to score the tying run on a Jesse Morgan double.

After holding the Wildcats in the eighth, Martin ripped a one-out single to pick up the game-winning RBI when Wood Collins scored.

In game two, Martin, hitting out of the team’s cleanup spot, picked up where he left off when he hit an RBI single to score Collins in the first inning.

After control problems plagued the MA pitching staff, Martin entered the game again. This time, he took over in the fifth inning and proved effective enough to carry his team the rest of the way to the win.

If he stays hot over the next two weeks, Martin could well play a key role in determining whether or not the Longhorns repeat as AISA Class AA state champions.