By Gene Stanley/Sports Correspondent
Section High’s pitching staff couldn’t have much better of a series than it had against Westbrook Christian in Friday’s second-round series of the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Class 2A state baseball playoffs.
Heath McRae and Luke Anderson held the hard-hitting Warriors to only three hits in the 7-2 opener.
In the nightcap, won 5-1, Cody Goff and Ross Anderson held Westbrook to four hits.
“Their pitching was a lot better than ours,” Warriors coach Matt Kennedy said. “They pretty well dominated us on the mound, from the opening pitch to the end of the second game.”
It was the fourth year in a row that Section and Westbrook met in the playoffs and the first season that the Lions advanced.
“You can’t spot a good team two or three runs and expect to win,” Kennedy said.
The Warriors (14-22) did spot Section three runs in the first inning of the opener, and that proved to be enough to earn the victory.
Westbrook got one run back in the bottom of the first without benefit of a hit when Jesse Brittain led off with a single, stole second and scored on a wild pitch.
Two other runners got on base but were stranded. Westbrook left 11 runners on base for the game.
In the seventh, Kyle Leonard singled in Tyler Pankey, who walked and stole second.
The second game painted almost the same picture, as Section scored twice in the first inning.
Westbrook’s run came in the sixth inning. Brittain led off with a single and took second on the throw. Jake Kilgo got on after being hit by a pitch.
This forced Section to make a pitching change. Ross Anderson struck out the next two batters but then walked to load the bases loaded and walked in a run.
“People have said this was a rebuilding year for us,” Kennedy said. “But we made the second round again. I feel good if our rebuilding years can make the second round.”
