By Mike Goodson/Sports Correspondent
The Southside High baseball team needed two wins in three games this week against Class 6A, Area 13 rival Fort Payne to clinch a state playoff spot.
Competing without four key players on Tuesday (Apr. 12), it appeared that head coach Blake Bone would need a miracle to accomplish said goal.
But that is just what Bone got in the form of Logan Miracle, who tossed a three-hitter in the Panthers’ 11-1 victory at SHS. In six innings, Miracle walked two and struck out four.
The Panthers travel to Fort Payne for a doubleheader on Thursday. If they win one of the two games, they clinch a berth in the state playoffs.
“Miracle threw very well tonight,” said Bone. “It’s good to have him back. We also got several key hits in key situations to break the game open.”
Greyson Daugherty led off the bottom of the first inning with a single and later scored on a groundout.
Miracle cruised through the first four innings, giving up only two hits and one run while the No. 10 Panthers (22-14) built a 5-1 lead. Miracle only gave up one hit over the final two innings as the Panthers exploded for six more runs.
Daugherty and Daniel Seber each had three hits. Jarren Wright and Andrew Bishop added two hits and Adam Lister, Tanner Snow and Baye DeFranco each had one.
Cole Hosey took the loss for the Wildcats, going giving up five runs on nine hits in three and two-thirds innings.
