Auburn, Spanish Fort Claim Final Day Baseball Titles
Join UMS-Wright, Shoals Christian, Luverne & Mars Hill As Champions
CLASS 6A
Game 3: Auburn 4, Grissom 3
Auburn senior lefthander Trey Gregg’s towering home run over the 395-foot mark on the Riverwalk Stadium fence in Game 2 Saturday afternoon gave the defending state champion Tigers new life in Game 2 of the Class 6A state baseball championship Series.
His complete-game pitching effort in Game 3 gave Coach Matt Cimo’s team its second consecutive Class 6A state title as Auburn (32-10) rebounded to beat Grissom 4-3 in the final game of the series.
Gregg earned 6A Series MVP as he scattered eight hits over seven innings, walked three, allowed only two earned runs and struck out one. He pitched out of a seventh-inning jam as Grissom (39-16) rallied late to cut Auburn’s 4-1 lead to 4-3.
Grant Massey drove in two runs for Auburn on one hit, Tanner Cimo had a single and RBI and Dalton Edwards also drove in one run and had one hit for the winners.
Patrick Dodson had two hits and an RBI for Grissom and Blake Crank had two hits.
Starting pitcher Jonathon Black (5-3) went 4 innings, allowed five hits and three runs to get the loss. He walked none and struck out one. Stephen Hill pitched the final two innings with one strikeout and two hits allowed.
Game 2: Auburn 9, Grissom 7
Coming to bat in the top of the seventh inning in Game 2 with its back to the wall, Auburn plated four runs to erase a 7-5 deficit and won over Grissom 9-7 here Saturday afternoon at Riverwalk Stadium.
The victory forced the Class 6A state baseball championship series to a third game scheduled later Satuday night.
Grissom (39-15) jumped to a 7-2 lead, thanks in part to back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning. Patrick Dodson slammed the first, an inside-the-ark solo blast that bounced long off the concrete at the top of the left-field wall. By the time Auburn outfielder Russell Melton could run the ball down, Dodson was rounding third and heading home.
Brandon Lawling then followed with a long homer over the left-field wall.
Auburn (31-10) got back into the contest with thanks to its power, too. Trey Gregg slammed a two-run homer over the 395-foot sign in center field to help set the stage for the dramatic seventh-inning rally.
Reliever Stephen Hill was tagged for a single by Dalton Edwards and then issued a walk to Patrick Carroll. Grissom’s star closer Grant Bush was then brought in with Grissom still clinging to the 7-5 lead. A double steal moved runners to second and third before Russell Melton beat out an infield hit to plate a run. Ben Goolsby followed with a two-RBI single to put Auburn ahead 8-7 and Tanner Cimo closed out the scoring with a long sacrifice fly to play the ninth run.
Ortman finished with two walks and five strikeouts to get the win. He threw only 78 pitches and faced just 20 batters. James Ponder, who pitched four scoreless innings of relief for Auburn , then closed out the contest to get the win and force Game 3. He allowed only one hit and struck out two.
Bush got the loss.
Edwards finished with two hits for Auburn and Dodson had three hits for Grissom.
Game 1: Grissom 2, Auburn 1
Grissom right-hander Dillon Ortman pitched a perfect game for five innings, then got help from ace reliever Grant Bush to close the game as the Tigers beat defending state champion Auburn 2-1 to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 Class 6A state baseball championship series.
The series continues Saturday at 4 p.m. at Riverwalk Stadium with Game 2. Game three, if needed, will follow at 7 p.m.
Ortman (10-4), who became the all-time wins leader at Grissom with 24 with Friday night’s victory at Paterson Field, retired the first 15 batters he faced and was clinging to a 2-0 lead before walking Russell Melton to start the sixth inning. Two outs later, Auburn (30-10) had loaded the bases and Coach Adam Moseley opted to bring in Bush to get his team out of the jam.
Bush got Grant Massey to ground out to end the inning.
Trey Gregg broke up the no-hitter with a lead-off single off Bush in the bottom of the seventh. He came around to score on Ben Goolsby’s infield out. With runners on second and third, Bush struck out Kyler Deese for the final out to end the game and notch the save.
Ortman finished with two walks and five strikeouts to get the win. He threw only 78 pitches and faced just 20 batters. Bush went 1 1/3 innings and allowed the only Auburn hit to get his ninth save on the year.
Ninth hitter Ben Hall, Grissom’s second baseman, singled in two runs off Auburn pitcher Drew Eiland (10-2) in the fourth inning to plate both Tigers runs. Eiland went all seven innings for Auburn, allowing nine hits, walking one and striking out none.
CLASS 5A: Spanish Fort Gets First Title
Game 2: Spanish Fort 4, Hartselle 1
For the second straight game Spanish Fort pitchers kept the usually longball-hitting Hartselle bats quiet as the Toros (32-11) downed the defending state champion Tigers (30-27) 4-1 in Game 2 for a sweep of the Class 5A state baseball championship series Saturday at Riverwalk Stadium.
The victory clinched Spanish Fort’s first state baseball title in just the fifth year of the school’s existence.
Winning Pitcher Rocky McCord (9-2) allowed only five hits and struck out five to get the complete-game win for Coach Tommy Walker. He got a couple of big defensive boosts, first from left fielder Cole Jarman’s diving catch in the second inning that saved a run. The second was turned in by first baseman and 5A series MVP Patrick McGavin, who ran down a high fly in right field with the Toros leading 2-1 and the bases loaded to record the final out of the fourth inning.
McGavin had a single and triple at the plate and also threw another Tigers runner out at third base to end another potential rally.
Both teams played well defensively, turning two double plays each.
Chris Beasley also had two hits for Spanish Fort and Zac Fowler had a single and RBI.
Hartselle pitcher Ethan Howell (4-4) also pitched well over his seven innings, allowing just six hits, no walks and striking out two. Dax Gillesie had two hits and Robby Reece had an RBI double for Coach William Booth’s Tigers, who started the year at 1-12 but went 29-14 the rest of the season.
Game 1: Spanish Fort 10, Hartselle 0
Spanish Fort slugged three home runs and got a complete-game shutout from pitcher Chris Beasley to beat defending state champion Hartselle 10-0 in the first game of the Class 5A state baseball championships series Friday at Paterson Field.
The two teams play Game 2 Saturday at 10 a.m. at Riverwalk Stadium. A third game, if necessary, will be at 1 p.m.
The Toros (31-11) posted two runs in the bottom of the first and six in the second inning to take the drama out of the series opener. Ninth hitter Justin Key slugged a two-run homer in the bottom of the second for Coach Tommy Walker’s Toros. Patrick McGavin followed in the same inning with another two-run shot.
Rocky McCord homered to left in the fourth inning. McCord, who had two hits and three RBIs, singled in McGavin in the sixth to plate the 10th run and end the game. McGavin, Wes Runnels, Cole Jarman and Key each had two hits in addition to McCord.
Winning pitcher Beasley (9-0) allowed six hits, walked four and struck out two in his six innings of work.
Jackson Reeves was 3-for-3 for Hartselle (30-26).
CLASS 4A: UMS-Wright Wins School's 9th Title This Year
Game 2: UMS-Wright 17, Alexandria 7
UMS-Wright posted six runs in the fifth inning and six in the sixth to break open a close two-run battle and rolled to the Class 4A state baseball championship Friday with a 17-7 win over Alexandria.
The Bulldogs won Game 1 at Paterson Field Thursday night 11-1 in a game that took just an hour and 8 minutes to play. Friday’s contest at Riverwalk Stadium wasn’t so easy, however. UMS (33-6) and Alexandria (22-19) battled for 2 hours and 24 minutes before the Bulldogs finally completed the sweep.
Winning pitcher Evan Grovenstein (13-0) pitched all six innings for UMS to get the win. He allowed eight hits, seven runs and struck out three. Logan Doss (6-4), the Valley Cubs starter, went 2 1/3 innings and took the loss.
Class 4A Series MVP Chase Williamson, who pitched the complete-game win Thursday, went 3-for-3 for the second straight game – hitting a single, double and triple to score two runs and had two RBIs. He was 6-for-6 in the series and had a home run in Game 1.
Grovenstein helped himself with a triple and four RBIs. Lee English also had three hits. Robert Alexander and Stephen Zalophany had two hits each. UMS, winners of 29 of its last 30 games, finished the game with 15 hits.
Trey Shaw and Jon-Michael Lee each had two hits for Alexandria and DeAntae Owens had a double and two RBIs. Hunter Ginn, who socked a double to drive in one run, also had the defensive gem of the day with an unusual double play. With a runner on first, he dove head first near the Alexandria dugout to snag a foul ball, then turned quickly and fired to second base to nip a Bulldogs runner tagging up and trying to advance on the play.
The baseball championship was the ninth state title won by the Mobile school this school year. Other crowns this spring came in boys and girls 4A tennis, boys 1A-4A soccer, boys 4A golf, and the boys and girls 4A track & field. In the fall the girls and boys cross country teams won 4A titles.
Game 1: UMS-Wright 11, Alexandria 1
Junior hurler Chase Williamson (12-1) hurled a four-hitter, struck out seven and slugged a two-run homer--his eighth of the season--to lead UMS-Wright to an 11-1 win over Alexandria in the first game of the Class 4A State Championship Series here at Paterson Field Thursday night.
The Bulldogs (32-6) tagged the Valley Cubs (22-18) for seven runs in the first inning – six off starter Taylor Shanks (3-6), and Alexandria never really recovered. Williamson needed only 75 pitches to notch his12th win of the year. The contest took just 1:29.
Stephen Zalopany added a single and two RBIs for UMS-Wright. Catcher Matt Sturdivant had one hit and two RBIs and Robert Alexander drove in two runs, one on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch.
Josh Ray had two hits for Alexandria.
The series moves to Riverwalk Stadium Friday morning with Game 2 set for 10 a.m. Game 3, if needed, will follow 30 minutes later – or 1 p.m.
Class 5A and Class 6A begin play Friday at Paterson Field with defending state champion Hartselle facing Spanish Fort in Game 1 of the 5A Series at 4 p.m. Defending 6A champion Auburn plays Grissom in the 6A Series opener at 7. Those two classes close out the championships on Saturday at Riverwalk Stadium.
CLASS 1A: Shoals Christian Cops First Crown
Game 2: Shoals Christian 7, Holy Spirit 5
Shoals Christian (24-23) downed Holy Spirit of Tuscaloosa 7-5 in Game 2 of the Class 1A State Baseball Championship Series Thursday to sweep its way to the school’s first state baseball crown.
The Flame pounded 10 hits in the finals with right fielder Zach Frye slugging a solo homer in the third inning to give Shoals a 6-3 lead.
Winning pitcher Devan Traglia (7-6), who picked up a save on Wednesday night in closing out the 13-12 win in the seventh inning, pitched six innings, allowed 10 hits and struck out two to get the win. Will Bishop pitched the final inning, faced just three batters and struck out one to get the save.
Traglia and Bishop also had two hits each, 1A Series MVP Charlie Kelley had a double and an RBI and Taylor Lindley had a single and two RBIs for coach Jason Anderson’s Florence team.
Brothers Evan and Alex Harrison each had two hits for the Titans (21-11) along with Logan Kirkland. Chris David also had one hit and two RBIs.
Devin Young (10-4) started on the mound and got the loss. Chris Kudirka pitched 4 2/3 strong innings in relief, scattering five hits and striking out one.
Game 1: Shoals Christian 13, Holy Spirit 12
Shoals Christian (23-23) led 7-0 after two innings, but it took a baserunner interference by Holy Spirit (21-10) in the bottom of the seventh to record the third out as the Flame escaped with a 13-12 win at Paterson Field Wednesday night.
The two teams resume the Class 1A Series with game 2 Thursday at 10 a.m. at Riverwalk Stadium. Game three, if needed, will follow at 1 p.m,.
Down 13-10 going into the bottom of the seventh, Holy Spirit scored two runs and had runners on second and third with two outs when Alex Harrison hit a slow roller to short. The ball, however, hit Alex’s brother Evan Harrison on the foot for the third out to end the game.
Wednesday night’s battle, which lasted 2 hours and 27 minutes, had 26 hits, 25 runs, eight errors, 14 walks, five hit batters and two balks. Shoals had 11 hits including two each by Will Bishop, Charlie Kelley, Jay Stephenson, Zach Fry and Taylor Lindley. Lindley and Kelley each had three RBIs.
Holy Spirit slugged 15 hits with Devin Young going 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Alex Harrison, Richard Tyler, Jackson Terry and Logan Kirkland had two hits apiece. Tyler and Austin Hoyt also had two RBIs each and Chris Kudirka slugged a triple.
Will Bishop (8-5) pitched six innings to get the win for the Flame. He allowed 11 hits, 10 runs--all earned--and struck out three. Devan Traglia pitched the last inning to get the save.
Alex Harrison (2-2), who pitched two innings in relief, got the loss. Richard Tyler hurled the final four innings, scattering just two hits but walking six and giving up three runs.
CLASS 3A: Luverne Gets First Title
Luverne High School captured its first-ever state baseball championship Wednesday night at Paterson Field with a 6-3 victory over Madison Academy in the third game of the AHSAA Class 3A State Championship Series.
The two teams split two games Tuesday at Riverwalk Stadium as the Mustangs (38-13) won game one 9-0 and the Tigers (28-11) rebounded with 13 first-inning runs en route to a 16-1 win to set up game three.
Game 3: Luverne 6, Madison Academy
Coach Andre Parks’ team continued its red-hot, first-inning hitting with four runs in Wednesday’s first frame, quickly erasing a 2-0 Mustangs lead. The rally was highlighted by series MVP Monterio May’s three-run homer over the 364-foot mark on the right-field wall. May, who pitched game two’s win, also had a single and pitched the final two innings to get a save. Starting pitcher Adam Foster (8-3) went five innings, allowing six hits and striking out one to get the win. May gave up two hits, the final Madison Academy run and struck out one.
Starting Mustangs pitcher Clayton Palicki (5-4) suffered the loss. He managed just two outs in the first inning before Spencer Palmer came in to pitch 3 2/3 innings in relief. Palmer gave up just one unearned run and struck out three.
Palicki led Madison Academy at the plate with three hits and an RBI. Stafford Booth also doubled and drove in one run and Drew Mobley had an RBI double.
Corey Hale had a single and one RBI for Luverne and Blake Hermeling doubled in one run.
Game 2: Luverne 16, Madison Academy 1
Luverne’s Tigers scorched Madison Academy for 13 runs in the top of the first inning in game 2 of the Class 3A Series at Riverwalk Stadium Tuesday night and pounded the Mustangs 16-1 to force game three Wednesday. Defending state champion Madison Academy won game one 9-0.
The Tigers (27-11) pounded 11 hits in the first inning to quickly erase any thoughts of a Madison Academy sweep. Third baseman Zane Sexton had two hits in the inning and drove in four runs. He finished 3-for-4 with five RBIs.
Shortstop Evan Richardson also had three hits and two RBIs. Adam Foster added a triple and two singles. Lefty Monterio May (9-2) did the rest, allowing just three hits and striking out four to get the win.
Zane Mobley doubled to lead MA (38-12). Stafford Booth (5-1) got the loss.
Game 1: Madison Academy 9, Luverne 0
Drew Mobley (13-2) notched his 13th win of the season Tuesday night with a three-hit shutout as defending Class 3A state champion Madison Academy won game one of the 2010 Championship Series 9-0 over Luverne at Riverwalk Stadium.
Mobley struck out seven and walked two, throwing just 87 pitches in his seven-inning shutout. Ben Seabrook had two hits for the Mustangs (38-11). Jared Brinson added a bases-loaded double to drive in three runs in the top of the fifth to extend a 5-0 lead to eight runs.
Hunner Moody had a double to pace Luverne (26-11). Losing pitcher Corey Hale (9-4) allowed six hits in 4 2/3 innings to get the loss. He walked seven and struck out four. Reliever Blake Hermeling allowed no hits and one unearned run in 2 1/3 innings for the Tigers.
CLASS 2A: Mars Hill Claims Crown
Mars Hill Bible used the long ball and great pitching to sweep Leroy – winning Tuesday night’s first game 5-4 at Montgomery’s Paterson Field and downing the Bears 6-1 in the clincher at Riverwalk Stadium Wednesday morning.
Game 2: Mars Hill Bible 6, Leroy 1
Freshman left-hander Thomas Burrows (7-2), the batting star on Tuesday, hurled four strong innings to get the final-game win. He allowed four hits and struck out one. Senior C.K. Irby hurled the final three innings to pick up his second save of the series. He allowed only one hit and struck out three to close out the victory for Coach Jay Mitchell’s Panthers (33-9).
Irby also supplied the power with a solo home run off Leroy pitcher Phillip Ervin. Irby and Ervin have both signed with Samford University. Irby finished with two hits, including a double. Right fielder Josh Wear also had two hits.
Ervin (5-2) pitched five innings, allowed six hits and all six runs. He struck out nine. Clifton Covington led the Bears (35-6) with two hits.
Game 1: Mars Hill Bible 5, Leroy 4
Thomas Burrows was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs to pace the Panthers, who started the season 2-6 before rallying to win 31 of their last 34 games. Mars Hill was a perfect 10-0 in the 2010 playoffs.
Glenn Irby (10-2) got the win, going five innings, allowing four hits and four runs and striking out five. Irby got the save, allowing one hit and striking out three over the final two innings.
Phillip Ervin had two hits to pace Leroy, which beat Mars Hill in the 2008 finals