Spanish Fort Repeats As Class 5A State Champ
Huntsville Pulls Off 6A Sweep For School's First Baseball Title
CLASS 5A: Second Straight Title For Spanish Fort
Game 2: Spanish Fort 11, Cullman 6
Spanish Fort opened the top of the fourth inning with five consecutive hits and scored seven runs Friday as the Toros rolled to an 11-6 win over Cullman to claim the Class 5A state baseball title for the second year in a row.
Coach Tommy Walker’s Toros (36-8) broke open a scoreless duel between Cullman ace Keegan Thompson and Spanish Fort hurler Rocky McCord with the big fourth-inning rally. The Toros posted four more runs in the top of the seventh to take an 11-2 lead into the bottom of the final inning.
Cullman (45-11) rallied for three runs but could not get any closer as Troy Brown relieved McCord (10-1) to get the final two outs and seal the win.
Thompson (10-2) was greeted by Cole Jarman’s lead-off single in the third. McCord, who went 3-for-4 for the game, followed with a hit to left-center. Class 5A Series MVP Zac Fowler, who was also 3-for-4, drilled a double down the third-base line to drive in two runs. He finished the two-game series with six hits, including three doubles, a home run and eight RBIs.
Before the inning was completed, Spanish Fort had collected eight hits to take the 7-0 lead.
Fowler’s double in the seventh inning drove in two runs as the Toros posted four more important runs. He then scored when catcher Jake Brackhan doubled off the left-field wall.
Cullman got two runs in the bottom of the fourth on wild pitches. In the seventh, Thompson plated two runs with a double as the Bearcats rallied to cut the lead to 11-5. He then scored on Daniel Moore's sacrifice fly for the Bearcats' sixth run. That was as close as Coach Brent Patterson’s Cats could come.
McCord pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowed six hits and struck out four to get the win. Jarman and McCord each finished three hits, Fowler and Brackhan and Beasley two hits each in the Toros’ 13-hit attack.
Jesse Thomas had two hits for Cullman.
Game 1: Spanish Fort 16, Cullman 6
Defending Class 5A state baseball champion Spanish Fort moved one step closer to capturing its second title in a row Thursday afternoon as the Toros pounded 19 hits in a 16-6 victory over Cullman at Paterson Field.
Spanish Fort (35-8) and Cullman (45-10) meet in the second game of the best-of-three series Friday morning at 10 a.m., at Riverwalk Stadium. If a third game is needed, it will be played immediately following Game 2.
Shortstop Troy Brown, the Toros’ leadoff hitter, provided the spark in the six-inning win. He had three singles and a double, scored three runs and had two RBIs. Zac Fowler added three hits, including a double and home run, and drove in four runs. Rocky McCord added two doubles and a single and Cole Jarman slugged a triple and single for Coach Tommy Walker’s Toros.
Daniel Moore had a homer and double with four RBIs to pace the Bearcats.
Chris Beasley (9-2) got the win, going five innings, scattering nine hits and striking out two. Moore (10-3) started and went two innings to get the loss.
Leeth (2-3) struck out 13–including eight outs in a row–and narrowly missed tossing a shutout when Billy Johnstone’s infield hit plated Jansen Boeschen with two outs in the seventh inning. Leeth and catcher Andrew Dennis both went for the short hit but collided as Johnstone reached safely as Boeschen scored from third.
CLASS 6A: First Title For Huntsville
Game 2: Huntsville 10, Baldwin County 2
Huntsville High School senior left-handed pitcher Daniel Koger followed teammate Luke Leeth’s stellar pitching performance on Thursday with a gem of his own Friday afternoon as the Panthers downed Baldwin County 10-2 to sweep the Class 6A State Baseball Championship Series in two games and claim the school’s first state title.
Koger allowed only three hits and struck out 10 to finish the season 11-3 for veteran Coach Mark Mincher’s team. The Panthers (35-11) gave Koger all the runs he needed in the first inning when catcher Andrew Dennis slugged his 18th home run this season over the left-field wall for two quick runs as Huntsville jumped out to a 3-0 start.
Cody Burton’s triple to right center in the second inning drove in one run as the lead expanded to 5-0. Koger, meanwhile, kept the Baldwin County hitters off stride with fastball and curve which he got over the plate consistently for strikes.
Brantley Johnson, who had two doubles and two RBIs in each game, drove in a run with a screeching two-bagger down the left-field line in the fourth inning as Huntsville built a 9-0 lead.
Baldwin County (36-14) got both its runs in the top of the fifth inning when Kristain Johnson singled in Jansen Boeschen and Tucker Miller. Boeschen had two hits to lead the Tigers.
Huntsville finished with 12 hits off four Baldwin County pitchers. Burton had two hits and two RBIs, Austin Cole his ninth home run of the year and a single, and Johnson and Austin Hatfield two hits each.
Game 1: Huntsville 6, Baldwin County 1
Huntsville senior left-hander Luke Leeth, who has battled arm troubles all season, shut down Baldwin County Thursday night with a complete-game five-hitter as the Panthers (34-11) captured Game 1 of the Class 6A championship series at Paterson Field 6-1.
Left fielder Brantley Johnson led Huntsville with two doubles and an RBI. Austin Cole added a triple and two walks and scored two runs, and Cody Burton and Taylor Propst each had an RBI single.
Jordan Ebert had two hits, including a double, for Baldwin County (36-13). Boeschen (8-2) started and went 5 2/3 innings, gave up seven hits, all six runs and struck out four in the loss.
Huntsville and Baldwin County play Game 2 of the Class 6A series Friday at 4 p.m. If game 3 is needed, it will follow immediately.