Photo courtesy of Grant Campbell
Class 3A No. 3 Westbrook Christian took a step closer to clinching the Area 11 title with an 8-4, 5-0 sweep over Hokes Bluff on April 6.
In complete-game efforts, Westbrook starting pitchers Braden Kay (Game 1) and Caleb McCarty (Game 2) limited the Eagles to nine hits, three earned runs and five walks while striking out 11.
At the plate for the Warriors in the opener, Morgan Prater went 3-for-4 with three doubles, three RBI and three run scored; Jackson Bryant went 2-for-4 with a run scored; McCarty went 2-for-5 with two RBI; Hugh Windle went 2-for-4 and Dawson Grave had a double, an RBI and two runs scored. For Hokes Bluff, Brodie Brogdon went 2-for-4 with an RBI, Brayson Hayes had a home run, an RBI and a run scored and Loran Weimann had an RBI double and a run scored.
In the nightcap for Westbrook, Brady Carden went 2-for-3 with two runs scored; McCarty went 2-for-3 with an RBI double and Jacob Maples had an RBI double. Brogdon, Anderson Morgan, Colton Shields and Bray Bearden each had a hit for the Eagles.
Trailing 3-0 midway through the game, Sardis scored four runs in the fifth inning and seven in the sixth en route to an 11-5 victory over Homewood on April 6. At the plate for the Class 5A No. 3 Lions (18-3), Luke Weems went 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored; Carson Gillilan went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored and Landon Carroll went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Trailing by two runs and down to its last out against Ohatchee on April 5, Brady Kitchens and Aiden Johnson scored off a fielding error to give Glencoe a 6-5 win in Class 3A, Area 11 action on April 6. At the plate for the Yellow Jackets, Kitchens went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, Nolan Fairley went 3-for-4 with a run scored and Trent Rowell went 2-for-5 with a run scored.
Coosa Christian’s five-run inning in the bottom of the sixth paved the way for the Class 1A No. 9 Conquerors’ 10-6 win over Class 1A, Area 13 rival Spring Garden on April 6 in Gadsden. For Coosa, John David Justus went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI; Blaine West went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, Brody Nelson had a hit, two RBI and two runs scored and Keith Johnson went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Renn Gladden went the distance to earn the win, scattering eight hits while striking out seven. He did not allow an earned run and did not issue a walk.
Class 5A No. 3 Sardis edged Homewood, 6-5, on April 4. For the Lions (17-3), Luke Weems went 2-for-2 with a double, four RBI and a run scored; Carson Gillilan went 2-for-3 with two runs scored; Trey Thornton went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Russ Wiggs had a home run, an RBI and a run scored.
Southside defeated Pinson Valley, 11-3, on April 4. For the Panthers (16-17). Dylan Rainey went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored while Corbin Driskell went 2-for-4 with two RBI. In six innings, winning pitcher Kutter Johnson five hits, two runs and no walks while fanning nine.
Hokes Bluff scores a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning to rally past Westbrook Christian, 6-5, on April 4 in Rainbow City. Colton Shields had a hit, an RBI and run scored for the Eagles, while Bray Bearden had a hit and two runs scored. For the Warriors, Caleb McCarty went 2-for-3 with a run scored, while Jacob Maples had a hit, two RBI and a run scored.
Jayden Patton’s score off Garrett Gaskin’s base hit in the top of the fifth inning held up as the winning run in Glencoe’s 4-3 victory over Class 3A Area 11 rival Ohatchee on April 4. Th Indians drew within 4-3 with one out in the bottom of the seventh before Glencoe starter Nolan Fairley struck out the next two batters to secure the win. For the Yellow Jackets, Austin Mann went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored. In 6.1 innings winning pitcher Brady Kitchens scattered five hits and four walks while fanning six.
Class 1A No. 9 Coosa Christian defeated Spring Garden, 11-4, in Class 1A Area 13 game on April 4. For the Conquerors (16-10), John David Justus went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored; Thomas Skaggs went 3-for-5 with two run scored; Brody Nelson went 2-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored; Dylan Edwards went 20for-3 with an RBI and a run scored; Renn Gladden had a hit and two RBI and Clete O’Bryant had a hit and two runs scored. O’Bryant went six innings to notch the win, scattering seven hits and three walks while striking out five.
Class 3A No. 4 Westbrook Christian defeated East Limestone, 9-1, on March 30 at the James Clemens Tournament in Madison. At the plate for the Warriors, Mason Coley went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored; Brody Blevins went 2-for-3 with a run scored and Caleb McCarty had a hit, an RBI and a run scored.
Class 5A No. 4 Sardis defeated Jefferson City (Mo.) High School, 8-2, at the James Clemens Tournament on March 31 in Madison. For Lions (17-3), Luke Martin went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, two RBI and a run scored; Carson Gillilan went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored; Blaze Gerhard had a two-run home run and a run scored; Russ Wiggs had an RBI triple and two runs scored and Levi Weems had a hit, an RBI and two runs scored; Jackson Bryant went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored; Dalton Grace had a hit and RBI and two runs scored and
Brady Kitchens belted a pair of home runs and Nolan Fairley and Aiden Johnson combined on a no-hitter in Glencoe’s 13-0 shutout in five innings over Spring Garden on March 30. Fairley allowed one walk and struck out five in three innings, while Johnson fanned two and did not issue a walk. At the plate for the Yellow Jackets, Brady Kitchens went 2-for-2 with five RBI and two run scored; Fairley went 2-for-2 with two RBI; Garrett Gaskin went 2-for-3 with two runs scored; Trent Rowell and Hayden Hudson each had an RBI double and two runs scored; Jayden Patton had a two-RBI single and a run scored and Johnson had a hit, an RBI and a run scored.
Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Southside scored four runs in the bottom of the inning en route to a 5-4 win over Eagleville (Tenn.) High School in the Chattanooga Invitational Tournament on March 31. During the Panthers’’ rally, Angelo Alberghina walked and scored on Corbin Driskell’s RBI groundout, while Kutter Johnson, Dre’sen Champagne and Trey Frachiseur all scored off errors later in the inning. With runners on first and second with one out, Dylan Rainey struck out the next two batters to end the game. In six innings, Rainey scattered eight hits, three earned runs and three walks while striking out five. Cayden McMichael and Tytan Rich each had a hit and an RBI, while Champagne scored two runs.
Southside put across six runs in the top of the seventh inning on the way to a 9-1 victory over Hixon (Tenn.) High School in the Chattanooga Invitational Tournament on March 31. For the Panthers, Corbin Driskell went 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored; Trey Frachiseur and Dylan Rainey each went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored; Kutter Johnson went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored and Dre’sen Champagne went 2-for-3. In 6.2 innings, winning pitcher Shelby Houston allowed five hits, one run and three walks while fanning five.
Coosa Christian fell to Collinsville, 7-6, on March 30. For the Class 1A No. 7 Conquerors, Thomas Skaggs went 2-for-2 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored, while Eric Rodon went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored;