Guntersville Stages Rally to Capture 4A Crown
Shoals Christian Captures 3rd Straight Class 1A Baseball Title
Class 4A Championship Series
Game 3: Guntersville 8, Beauregard 6
Guntersville catcher Robert Smith slugged a clutch two-out, three-run homer in the top of the seventh inning Friday night to lift the Wildcats to a state title with an 8-6 win over Beauregard in the third and deciding game of the Class 4A baseball championship series.
For Smith, it was the first homer of his playing career.
The ball hit the top of the fence over the left-field wall, bounced back into the field of play and Smith never stopped sprinting around the bases as Guntersville (29-7) broke open a 4-4 tie with four runs in the final frame.
A.J. Wilder’s single to right plated Clayton Daniel to put Coach Kenny Chaffin’s team ahead for good. Wilder finished with two hits and three RBIs, Smith had two hits and Daniel had three hits and three runs scored.
Beauregard (37-15) scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh when Zach Walls doubled with two outs to score Clint Walker and Jesse Coleman singled to plate Walls. Daniels (11-0), who got the last out with a lineout to short, pitched all seven innings allowing nine hits and striking out four to get the win. Evan Holland had a hit and RBI and finished with six RBIs and five hits in the series to earn MVP honors. He also pitched the Wildcats’ first-game win.
Josh Rogers (10-7), who pitched a shutout in game two to keep the Hornets’ playoff hopes alive, took the loss in relief. He pitched the final two innings and struck out three and also had two hits,. Kyle Coker added two hits and two RBIs and Walls had two hits for Coach A.J. Kehoe’s squad.
Game 2: Beauregard 13, Guntersville 0 (5 innings)
Beauregard senior pitcher John Rogers (10-6) fired a two-hitter over four innings and the Hornets pounded 11 hits in a 13-0 win over Guntersville in game two of the AHSAA Class 4A state baseball championship series Friday.
The two teams were scheduled to meet in the third game of the best-of-three series Friday at Riverwalk Stadium.
Kyle Coker gave up one hit in the fifth inning to close out the win. Rogers struck out three and Coker one.
Catcher Zach Rivers had one hit and three RBIs for Beauregard (37-14). Shortstop Dalton Pritchett delivered the crowning blow – a bases-loaded triple to drive in three runs in a six-run third inning. He also had a single and scored three runs. Rogers also had two hits and three RBIs while Zach Walls and Coker added two hits each.
Clayton Daniel’s double led Guntersville (28-7). Starting pitcher Justin Nichols gave up seven hits over 1 2/3 innings to get the loss.
Game 1: Guntersville 9, Beauregard 8
Guntersville (26-8) collected 12 hits Thursday night in its 9-8 victory over Beauregard (36-14) in the opening game of the best-of-three Class 4A state baseball championship series at Paterson Field.
In the end, however, coach Kenny Chafin had to turn to his bullpen to stave off the Hornets’ last-ditch rally in the top of the seventh inning to seal the win.
Evan Holland (10-2) pitched into the seventh, allowing seven hits, walking six and striking out five. Leading 9-6, he ran into trouble and Chafin called on A.J. Wilder to close the game. Wilder came in with the bases loaded and got the first two batters out before yielding two seeing-eye hits to Nathan Langley and Peyton Williams that scored two runs.
He then got the last out on a fly out to center to preserve the win.
Guntersville got to Beauregard starter Clint Walker (13-1) early for four runs. The Beauregard ace lefty gave up eight hits and six runs before Jesse Coleman relieved him in the fourth and finished the game.
Holland was 3-for-3 with a double and four RBIs to pace the Wildcats. Nick McAnally also had a double and single to drive in two runs. Wilder and Ford McDonald also had two hits each.
Catcher Zach Rivers had two hits and an RBI and Josh Rogers had one hit and two RBIs for Beauregard.
Class 1A Championship Series
Game 3: Shoals Christian 12, St. Luke’s 2 (6 innings)
Shoals Christian downed St. Luke’s of Mobile 12-2 in game three Friday afternoon to capture the school’s third straight Class 1A state baseball championship.
The Flame (32-22) lost game one of the championship series Thursday night to St. Luke’s (25-15) and came into Friday’s best-of-three series needing to win two in a row to keep their state championship streak alive.
Coach Jason Anderson’s team responded with 16 hits in a 14-4 second-game win and followed with 14 hits in the 12-2 win –both in six innings.
The hottest bats in the lineup were first baseman Aaron Bowman and outfielder Will Bishop. Bowman was 4-for-4 with two runs scored, a double and three RBIs in the final game to finish the series 9-of-11 with one home run and nine RBIs to earn MVP honors. Bishop, who hurled a complete game in the 3-2 loss, was also 9-of-11 with five runs scored, a triple and two RBIs.
Jamie Hartley came up big in game three with a two doubles and four RBIs. His bases-loaded double in the bottom of the sixth plated two runs and the final run came home when the throw from the outfield sailed over the St. Luke catcher’s head.
Devan Traglia also had two hits and Cory McLeary had a hit, scored two runs and had two RBIs. Winning pitcher Christian Shipe (4-4) pitched five innings, allowed six hits and struck out four. Traliga, who got win two, pitched the final inning.
Anderson also credited senior catcher Charlie Kelley’s defensive effort behind the plate. “He calls all our pitches and makes sure we are where we need to be,” he said. Kelley had one hit in game three and was 4-of-9 for the series.
Hunter Kirksey had an RBI single for Coach Tim Becker’s Wildcats. St. Luke’s, in their third year in the AHSAA, had no seniors on its roster. Dalton Becker (2-4) got the loss going four innings and striking out two.
Game 2: Shoals Christian 14, St. Luke's 4 (6 innings)
Two-time defending state champion Shoals Christian slugged 16 hits in game two to keep their hopes of a third state title alive.
The Flame (31-22) won 14-4 over St. Luke’s (25-14) to force a third game immediately following the six-inning win.
Aaron Bowman collected three hits and drove in five runs to pace Shoals Christian. His three-run homer in the top of the fifth inning was the big blow.
Will Bishop also had three hits and Cooper Melvin and Charlie Kelley had two each. Kelley also had two RBIs. Devan Traglia and Cory McLeary, who had a double, also drove in two runs. Traglia (12-3) was the winning pitcher, yielding six hits and striking out three in five innings.
Chris Enger had two hits and two RBIs, and Murphy Mostellar had two hits for St. Luke’s.
Game 1: St. Luke’s 3, Shoals Christian 2
Dalton Becker’s sacrifice fly to right plated Dan Haskell in the top of the seventh inning Thursday to drive in the winning run as St. Luke's downed two-time defending Class 1A state champion Shoals Christian 3-2 in the first game of the AHSAA Class 1A state basketball championship series.
With the score tied 2-2, Haskell, the Wildcats' ninth batter, drilled a one-out double down the left-field line to start the final rally. Lead-off hitter Hunter Kirksey then moved him to third with a single to set Becker’s RBI sacrifice fly.
Drew Dismukes, who hurled the final 3 2/3 innings in relief of starter Brandon Cook, pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh by striking out one and getting the last out on an infield pop-up.
Kirksey finished with three hits while Becker, Justin Ware and Dismukes had two hits each for St. Luke’s (25-13), which is making its first appearance in a championship series.
Shoals Christian (30-22), which had won 25 straight playoff games coming into the series, was led by pitcher Will Bishop, who slugged a triple and single. Catcher Charlie Kelley also had a double and one RBI.
Bishop (7-7) pitched all seven innings for the Flame, allowing allowed 10 hits and striking out seven.