Gordo, American Christian Rally For Baseball Titles
UMS-Wright, Shoals Christian Capture State Crowns
CLASS 3A: Gordo Sweeps To The Title
Game 2: Gordo 7, Madison Academy 6
Gordo rallied from a 6-2 deficit with five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday afternoon at Riverwalk Stadium to topple Madison Academy 7-6 and complete a sweep en route to the Class 3A State Baseball Championship.
The Mustangs (30-14), which fell behind 1-0 in the series Wednesday with a 7-3 setback, appeared in control of Game 2 from the get-go, building a 3-1 lead after three innings while starting pitcher Clayton Palicki kept the strong Gordo batters from mounting any real threat.
Meanwhile, Andrew Mobley slugged his 15th and 16th home runs of the season as Coach Mike Good’s Mustangs built a 6-2 lead by the seventh inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Green Wave (36-7) slowly caught fire. Lead-off hitter Cameron Sanders singled to start the rally. Jon Sullivan walked, and after one out, Kainen Sullivan singled to plate Sanders and cut the lead to 6-3. Good then brought in Zachary Adams in relief to face Michael Skelton, who greeted him with a single to drive in Gordo’s fourth run. Tristan Hall then singled to load the bases. Adams then got out number two with a strikeout.
That brought second baseman Antonio Washington, the No. 8 hitter in the Green Wave lineup to the plate. “He had been struggling some and when I called time out to put in a pinch runner, he told me to please let him stay in,” said Gordo Coach Jon Pate. “I told him I never even considered taking him out. I told him to go up there and give it his best.”
Washington hit a sharp grounder to third. MA third baseman Benjamin Seabrook grabbed the ball to his right, but it popped out and he hurriedly fired to first trying to get the speedy runner. The throw tailed away from the bag allowing two runners across, then ricocheted off the fence and bounced back into the infield toward second base as Andrew Brown, running for Hall, streaked around the bases and scored the game-winning run.
Cameron Sanders and Hall each had three hits for Gordo. Michael Skelton and Jon Sullivan added two hits each and Kainen Sullivan, who got the win in relief by pitching the final out in the top of the seventh inning, had his seventh-inning hit and two RBIs. Kainen was named Class 3A Series MVP.
Greg Howard pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowed eight hits and all six runs as the Green Wave starter. He struck out three.
Mobley finished with three RBIs while Ian Rice and Chris Adams added two hits apiece for Madison Academy.
The championship was third state title in this decade for Gordo, which won back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003.
Game 1: Gordo 7, Madison Academy 3
Gordo senior first baseman Greg Howard pounded three doubles and drove in five runs Wednesday night to lead the Green Wave to a 7-3 come-from-behind win over Madison Academy in the first game of the Class 3A State Baseball Championship Series at Paterson Field.
The two teams resume play Thursday in the best-of-three series at 4 p.m. at Riverwalk Stadium. A third game, if needed, will follow approximately 30 minutes after Game 2 concludes.
Madison Academy (30-13) built a 3-0 lead with one run in each of the first three innings off Gordo starter Michael Skelton. The Green Wave (35-7) got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth when Howard drove in one run with a double off Mustangs starter Drew Mobley (7-3).
Marcus Jones tied the game with a two-run triple in the fifth, and Howard out the Green Wave ahead for good in the sixth with a bases-loaded double that drove in three runs.
John Fair also had three hits for Gordo. Jared Brinson had three hits for Madison Academy and Clayton Palicki two.
Skelton (12-1) got stronger as the game went along in the complete-game win, allowing eight hits and striking out three. Mobley got the loss.
CLASS 2A: American Christian Stages Late Rally
Game 3: American Christian 11, Leroy 10
Pinch-hitter Will Hollyhand capped a four-run seventh-inning rally Thursday at Riverwalk Stadium with a two-run double to left-center field to lift American Christian to an amazing 11-10 comeback win over Leroy to claim the Class 2A state baseball championship.
The Patriots (30-10) won their first state championship since 2009 with the dramatic finish. After losing game one to the Bears 11-1 in five innings Wednesday night, ACA won game 2 Thursday 10-5 to force the third game.
The Bears (33-6) jumped out to a 5-1 lead after two innings off American Christian starter Marc Sullivan. That lead stretched to 8-1 before Coach Matt Moore’s Patriots posted four runs off Leroy starter Ajay Snow in the bottom of the fourth to close to 8-5. ACA trailed 10-7 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
Marc Sullivan doubled to start the inning and Leroy Coach Matt Braun opted to bring in Wednesday’s winner in game 1 Sammie Coates, who pitched only five innings in that victory. Coates (9-1) struck the first batter out, then walked Landon Fancher and Daniel O’Quinn to load the bases.
Catcher Cody Lawrence, who earned Class 2A series MVP, singled to left to plate Sullivan and Fancher to make it 10-9. Pinch runner Landon Sartain was inserted to run for Lawrence at first base. Coates then got his second strikeout of the inning.
That’s when Moore called on Hollyhand to pinch hit. He ran the count full, then connected on a Coates fastball in the gap as Snow, who moved to center after leading the mound, charged quickly to try and make the catch. The ball bounded off the diving fielder’s glover as O’Quinn and Sartain streaked around the bases. Sartain slid into home just ahead of the throw for the winning run.
Lawrence finished with three hits, including two doubles, and five RBIs for ACA. Sullivan also had three hits including two doubles. The Patriots had eight doubles on the night.
Christian Snow had two hits, Justin Besteda had a single, double and two RBIs, A.J. Portis had a hit and drove in two runs for Leroy.
Ajay Snow struck out seven and allowed 10 hits in six innings for Leroy. Coates got the loss. Reliever Seth Morris (3-0) hurled the final 3 2/3 innings, gave up one hit, two runs struck out three to get the win.
Game 2: American Christian 10, Leroy 5
American Christian rallied from a 5-0 deficit to beat Leroy 10-5 in Game 2 of the Class 2A State Baseball Championship Series Thursday morning to force a third and final game at Riverwalk Stadium.
The Bears (33-5), who scored seven runs in the first inning Wednesday night to win Game 1, 11-1, posted three in the top of the first as lead-off hitter Sammie Coates and Brent Reed socked back-to-back doubles. Leroy added two more runs off ACA starter Dillon Williams (11-3) in the second inning, thanks to four Patriots errors, before Williams finally settled down to find his groove. He shut out the Bears over the final five innings as the Patriots (29-10) slowly pecked away at the lead.
American Christian got three off starter Carlos Delgado (9-1) in the bottom of the second inning with just one hit, a single by Daniel O’Quinn. Leroy yielded three runs on wild pitches.
The Patriots struck for five runs in the fifth inning with the big play coming with the bases loaded. Hunter Yarborough hit a sharp grounder to third base, but the throw at home got away from the catcher to allow two runs to score. A throw then went awry in the infield to allow another run to score.
Williams finished the day allowing only six hits and striking out seven. He did not walk a batter. Delgado allowed six hits and nine runs in five innings and walked eight. Only two runs were earned.
Landon Fancher had two hits and two RBIs and Andy Cooke added two hits and one RBI for American Christian. Ajay Snow collected three hits and scored two runs for Leroy.
Game 1: Leroy 11, American Christian 1
Senior center fielder Ajay Snow went 3-for-3 with a single, double and his 21st home run of the season and drove in three runs as the Leroy Bears pounded American Christian 11-1 in five innings to win Game 1 of the Class 2A State Baseball Championship Series Wednesday.
The Bears (33-4) scored seven runs in the bottom of the first inning, notching four hits and five runs off starter and loser Addison Moore (10-4) before an out was recorded. Stephen Joy, who relieved Moore with no outs in the first inning, pitched the final 4 1/3 innings. He allowed six hits, six runs and struck out four.
Sammie Coates (10-0) hurled a five-inning two-hitter to get the victory. He struck out 11 and walked three.
American Christian (28-10) got its only run in the fourth inning when first baseman Marc Sullivan, who had both Patriots hits, singled and later scored.
Chris Ervin added two hits and two RBIs for Coach Matt Braun’s Bears. Will Gartman and Coates had two hits apiece as Leroy collected 10 for the game.
Game two of the series moves to Riverwalk Stadium Thursday morning at 10 a.m. Game 3, if needed, will be played 30 minutes following the completion of game 2 in the best-of-three series.
Leroy won the 2A crown in 2001, 2007 and 2008. American Christian won its last title in 2009, claiming the1A championship. The Patriots also won 1A titles in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
CLASS 4A: Two In A Row For UMS-Wright
Game 3: UMS-Wright 9, Brooks 7 (8 innings):
Chase Williamson’s solo homer in the top of the eighth inning put defending Class 4A state champion UMS-Wright ahead for good in the third game of the State Baseball Championship Series Wednesday night at Riverwalk Stadium, and reliever Wesley Parrish shut down Brooks in the bottom of the inning as the Bulldogs won their second straight state title with the 9-7 win.
UMS-Wright (24-17) won Game 2 earlier in the day, 11-3 over the Lions with Williamson hurling six strong innings innings to get the decision and force the third and final game. Brooks (27-16) won the first game of the series Tuesday. Williamson was named the MVP of the series.
Brooks took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning of the final game when Mason Castile singled in one run and Caleb Waddell singled in two more off Bulldogs starter Wesley Parrish. Parrish pitched the first six innings and then yielded to Williamson in the seventh inning with UMS leading 7-5.
Williamson (10-6), the catcher when he wasn’t pitching, then pitched the bottom of the seventh but yielded two runs to the tenacious Lions to send the game into extra innings. Parrish returned in the eighth to get the save for Williamson, who notched his second win of the day.
Brooks starting pitcher Ryan Faulkner gave up six runs, all in the top of the third and all unearned, over six innings for Coach Russ Robbins. Nick Masonia, who ignited a fifth-inning rally with a towering 395-foot triple to dead center field, relieved Faulkner in the top of the seventh but left after two batters and Tanner Graham finished up the seventh and the eighth innings to get the loss.
Masonia’s single also started the seventh-inning rally. He scored when Mason Castile’s liner to center got by a diving T.J. Dixon for a triple. Castile then scored on a wild pitch.
Williamson homered to right field and James Bradley singled and scored on Tucker Ward’s double in the top of the eighth.
Parrish yielded a single to Russell Phillips in the bottom of the eighth before Parrish got Austin Michael to line out to second, caught Masonia looking on a third strike and then fanned Holt to seal the win.
Ward had a single, double and triple and two RBIs and Walt McKean singled in two runs for Coach Brett Boutwell’s Bulldogs. Dixon and Williamson each added two hits.
Masonia, Austen Holt, Castile and Drake Tucker each had two hits for Brooks. Castile and Waddell also drove in two runs apiece.
Game 2: UMS-Wright 11, Brooks 3
Brooks spotted defending state champion UMS-Wright four runs in the first inning but steadily battled back to post the first-game win of the 2011 Class 4A State Baseball Championship Series Tuesday night 8-5 at Paterson Field.
Defending Class 4A state champion UMS-Wright combined 12 hits and five Brooks errors for 11 runs Wednesday afternoon at Riverwalk Stadium to win Game 2 of the Class 4A State Baseball Championship Series 11-3. The victory tied the series at1-1 and forced game three Wednesday night.
UMS (23-17) scored four runs in the second and two in the third off Brooks starter Nick Masonia (7-3). Only one of the runs was earned, however. Reliever Tanner Graham allowed the final five runs – all earned.
Senior right-hander Chase Williamson (9-6) hurled six innings, allowed six hits, three runs and struck out three to get the win. Only one of the runs was earned.
Center fielder T.J. Dixon, who made a spectacular catch of a sinking liner off the bat of Devan Henson in the third inning, had two hits in the lead-off position and drove in three runs for UMS-Wright. James Bradley added two hits and two RBIs. Tucker Ward and Walt McKean also had two hits each for the Bulldogs.
Mason Castile had a double and single and one RBI for Brooks (27-15). Allen Belue also had a single to plate two Lions runs.
Game 1: Brooks 8, UMS-Wright 5
The Lions (27-14) took the lead 6-5 with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and added an insurance run in the fifth and sixth frames to notch the victory.
The two teams play Game 2 of the best-of-three series Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Riverwalk Stadium, home of the Southern League’s Montgomery Biscuits. Game 3, if needed, will follow at 7.
Brooks starting pitcher Allen Belue (7-2) got through the rocky start to pitch a complete game win. He allowed only three hits after the opening frame and struck out seven overall.Tucker Ward (6-4) pitched four innings and took the loss.
Left fielder Austen Holt slugged a single and double, scored three runs and drove in one for the Lions. It was his diving catch of a sharp liner off the bat of Luke Dunaway in the sixth inning that prevented the Bulldogs’ final comeback effort. Runners were on second and third with two outs and Brooks leading 6-5 when the catch was made.
“Austin followed the ball right off the barrel of the bat,” said Brooks Coach Russ Robbins. “We do a lot of fungo work hitting balls to our outfielders for situations just like that. He did exactly what he was supposed to do.”
Drake Tucker and Belue also had two hits each for the Lions. Nick Masonia, Brooks’ senior shortstop who came into the contest with a state-record 66 home runs, went hitless in three official at bats but did walk once and score a run. The slugger, who has 20 home runs this season, has also been walked 58 times in 40 games, many of them intentional.
Chase Williamson slugged two doubles for UMS-Wright (22-17). First sacker James Bradley also had two hits for Coach Brett Boutwell’s Bulldogs.
CLASS 1A: Back-To-Back Titles For Shoals Christian
Game 2: Shoals Christian 7, Fayetteville 4
Shoals Christian jumped out to a comfortable lead in Game 2 with four runs in the top of the first inning Wednesday and then rode the strong pitching performance of junior Devan Traglia to a 7-4 win over Fayetteville to sweep the Class 1A State Championship Series. It was the second state title in a row for the Florence school.
Traglia (14-3) allowed eight hits and struck out eight in his complete-game effort that included pitching out of two bases-loaded jams.
Fayetteville (28-6) senior starter Jeremy Melton (11-2) also went the distance, settling down after giving up four hits in the opening inning to limit Shoals to just three hits the rest of the way. One, however, was a 390-foot triple by Class 1A Series MVP Taylor Brackin in the second inning. The senior scored on Traglia’s sacrifice fly as the Flame (33-21) built a 6-1 lead.
Brackin, who also tripled in game one, finished the year with eight triples.
Traglia finished with two hits and the RBI for Coach Jason Anderson’s Flame. Aaron Bowman also had two hits, Sam Stephenson had a double and two RBIs and Charlie Kelley had a single and RBI.
Justin Ricks had two hits and two RBIs to pace the Wolves. Melton also had two hits, including a double, for Coach Morris Phillips’ team.
Game 1: Shoals Christian 5, Fayetteville 3
Defending Class 1A state champion Shoals Christian (32-21) scored four runs in the first two innings Tuesday and then staved off Fayetteville’s strong comeback to win game one of the Class 1A State Baseball Championship Series at Paterson Field 5-3.
The two teams play again Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. at Riverwalk Stadium. If a third game is needed in the best 2-of-3 series, it will follow at 1 p.m.
Left-handed pitcher Will Bishop (10-3) hurled a three-hitter and struck out six to get the win. He also collected two hits at the plate. The Flame posted two runs in the first inning when junior catcher Charlie Kelley’s double to the right-center field wall off Wolves hurler Zachary McGrady plated Taylor Brackin and Bishop.
A throwing error and three wild pitches helped Shoals Christian score two more runs in the second inning. McGrady (7-2), however, settled down to limit Coach Jason Anderson’s Flames to just one more run. Taylor Lindley doubled and scored on Brackin’s sacrifice fly. That run turned out to be a big one, giving the Flame a 5-2 lead.
Coach Morris Phillips’ Wolves (28-10) picked up a run in the fourth inning when Jeremy Melton doubled and scored on Hunter Garner’s fielder’s choice, Melton, who also made two spectacular catcher in center field, made it 4-23 in the top of the sixth with a towering home run over the right-center field wall. It was his 13th home run of the season and 71st RBI.
Fayetteville cut the lead to 5-3 in the top of the seventh when Shoals, which turned two double plays in the contest, committed two errors allowing J.T. Townsend to score. Melton came to the plate with two outs and runners on second and first, but Bishop got him to ground out on a close play at first to seal the win.
McGrady went the distance for Fayetteville, scattering 10 hits and striking outfive.Melton finished with two hits and Andrew Scott had the other hit for the Wolves. Brackin, Bishop and Lindley had two hits each for the Flame.