Friday Baseball Roundup: Spain Park sweeps James Clemens, Central downs Daphne

CJ Gross pitched a Game 2 shutout as Class 7A third-ranked Spain Park swept James Clemens 6-5 and 1-0 in the first round of playoffs.

Gross and James Clemens’ Andrew Lawrence each pitched six scoreless innings in Game 2 before Spain Park’s Chapman Blevins doubled home Matthew Widra, who doubled to start the top of the seventh inning, for the game-winner.

Widra was 2-for-3 in both games.

Host Spain Park (28-7) got a game-winning single from Cole Edwards in the seventh for the 6-5 Game 1 victory.

Blevins singled and advanced to second on Wes Blackmon’s two-out single and Evan Smallwood was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Edwards.

Widra was 2-for-3 with two RBIs while Clay Spencer had two RBIs and Edwards had two hits.

Lucas Thornton pitched four innings for the win, striking out four and allowing four hits and two earned runs.

Smallwood threw 1 1/3 innings and James Battersby pitched the final 1 2/3 innings.

Lawrence was 3-for-4 with four RBIs to lead James Clemens.

CLASS 7A

Central-Phenix City 8-9, Daphne 1-0

Defending state champion Central-Phenix City moved one step closer to returning to the title series with a sweep of visiting Daphne.

Central won Game 1 as Tripp Richard’s threw a two-hit complete game.

Daphne scored a run in the top of the first and Central erased the lead on a two-run home run by Auburn commit Colton Wombles in the bottom of the inning.

Jax Yoxtheimer went 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs. Hunter Wippert had three hits and drove in a run. Wombles had two hits and two RBIs. Carson Gilley had two hits and an RBI. Jay Davidson took the loss for Daphne.

The Red Devils (29-8) pounded out 12 more hits in Game 2, scoring five times in the top of the fourth to break open a scoreless game. Blake Schneeberger was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Yoxtheimer added two more hits and an RBI. Landon Beaver was 3-for-3 with an RBI. Preston Bedford, Schneeberger and Emory Yohn each had two hits.

Brantley Rothrock and Hunter Wippert combined to scatter six hits in the shutout. Steele Hall and Mason Owens had two hits for Daphne.

The Red Devils will play Enterprise in the second round next week.

Thompson 6-9, Huntsville 3-1

Top-ranked Thompson (34-5) took an early lead in both games to sweep Huntsville in first round action on Friday.

Three first inning runs in Game 2 and six runs over the final three innings sealed the victory.

Zach Wyatt pitched the one-hit Game 2 win, striking out 11.

Tucker Arrington had a double with three RBIs and scored three runs while pitcher Wyatt was 3-for-5 with two RBIs at the plate.

Chase Cartron had Huntsville’s lone hit in Game 2.

The Warriors scored all six Game 1 runs in the first five innings and held off Huntsville for the 6-3 win.

Ethan Crook was 2-for-3 with two RBIs while Peryn Bland had two hits and an RBI and Drake McBride had a hit and two RBIs.

Landon Alton pitched the complete game win, striking out six and allowing seven hits.

Cartron had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs to lead the Panthers while Galen Evans also had two hits.

Thompson plays Bob Jones in Round 2.

Baker 4-11, Prattville 2-1

Z. Munger pitched a complete game for Baker in the opener and C. Gatewood threw a no-hitter in Game 2 as the Hornets moved on.

Gatewood allowed only an unearned run in the nightcap. He struck out 15 in six innings and walked five. C. Fadalla homered and drove in three. E. Santos was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs.

Munger scattered six hits and allowed two runs in Game 1. He struck out five. B. Durbin was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

Baker will play Fairhope or Smiths Station in the second round.

CLASS 6A

Oxford 10-9, Mountain Brook 0-4

Top-ranked Oxford (33-6) pounded 18 hits to sweep ninth-ranked Mountain Brook.

The Yellow Jackets scored eight runs in the first two innings of Game 2.

Peyton Watts was 3-for-3, including a triple, with an RBI in Game 2 while Carter Johnson had a double and three RBIs. Forrest Heacock also doubled and has two RBIs.

Charlie Berryman was 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Mountain Brook while John Robicheaux had two hits, including a double. James Graphos was 2-for-4.

Hayes Harrison threw a 5-inning, 4-hit shutout, striking out nine to earn the Game 1 win.

Drew McCormick belted two home runs – a three-run shot and two-run homer – to provide the big bat for the Yellow Jackets.

Sam Robertson and Heacock each added two hits and an RBI while Nick Richardson and Johnson each had a hit and RBI.

Gabe Young had a double for the Spartans.

Oxford faces Hartselle in Round 3.

Spanish Fort 1-10, Northridge 0-3

No. 6 Spanish Fort swept No. 10 Northridge in a second-round matchup.

John Henry Winstead threw a four-hit shutout in the first game. He struck out nine and walked just one.

The Toros scored the only run of the game in the top of the fifth when Nemo Hixon stole home. Hixon was 2-for-2 with a walk.

Milo Obradovich had two hits for Northridge. Matthew Sheffield was the tough-luck losing pitcher He allowed just the one run on six hits in seven innings.

In the second game, the Toros broke a 3-3 tie with two runs in the third and five in the sixth. They capitalized on five Northridge errors.

Hixon had two more hits and an RBI. Pierce Dutton was 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Lakelon Ray drove in three runs for the Toros. C Sullivan pitched six innings to get the win, allowing three runs on four hits. Mytch Deacy got the final three outs.

Brady McAbee had two hits for the Jaguars. Thomas Woolf gave up 10 runs but only two were earned on nine hits.

Spanish Fort plays (24-14) rival Saraland in the quarterfinals next week.

Gardendale 7-11, Hazel Green 1-2

Gardendale (24-11) secured the sweep of Hazel Green by scoring late runs in both games.

The Rockets scored six runs in the seventh inning of Game 2 and all seven Game 1 runs in the sixth inning.

Ty McGraw pitched the 11-2 complete Game 2 win, striking out nine and scattering three hits.

McGraw also belted a two-run homer and added another RBI.

Connor Hensley was 2-for-4 with two RBIs while Carson Burdette with 2-for-3, including a double, and Easton Kleyn was 2-for-4.

Blake Hall had a hit and RBI for Hazel Green.

The Rockets scored all seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to earn the 7-1 victory in Game 1.

A bases-loaded walk to Caiden Combs tied the game 1-all before McGraw was hit by a pitch to give Gardendale the lead for good.

A two-RBI single by Cooper Jarvis along with RBI singles by Kyle Norris and Hensley provided the final margin.

Logan Fitzgerald pitched the complete game win, striking out two and allowing seven hits.

Hazel Green’s Jonathan Whitworth was 2-for-3 while Tarpley Priest had a hit and RBI.

CLASS 5A

St. Paul’s 16-4, Tallassee 4-3

No. 7 St. Paul’s moved into the quarterfinals with a road sweep of Tallassee.

St. Paul’s built an 11-0 lead in the third inning of Game 1 and cruised to the victory. John Stowers and Edward McLeod each homered twice for the Saints and Taylor O’Dell homered once. Stowers drove in four runs, McLeod three and Wesley Whitson two. Stowers got the win on the mound. Tate Johnston pitched the final of five innings.

Jackson Rhodes gave up 11 earned runs on 10 hits for Tallassee.

In Game 2, the Saints broke a 2-2 tie with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and held on for the win. McLeod hit his third homer of the day. He was 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles in Game 2.

O’Dell went 5.2 innings to get the win. He allowed three runs – one earned – on three hits. Stowers got the final four outs for the save. He struck out three.

St. Paul’s will play Demopolis or Shelby County in Round 3.

CLASS 4A

Bayside Academy 11-0, Bibb County 4-8

Chris Billingsley threw a one-hitter and struck out 16 No. 2 Bibb County salvaged a split with No. 3 Bayside Academy in Friday’s best-of-three second-round series.

Billingsley threw 119 pitches in the nightcap, walking four. Bayside’s Cade Morris spoiled the no-hit bid with a leadoff single in the seventh.

Bibb’s Canyon Kornegay homered and drove in two. Josh Partridge had two hits. Carson Joyner took the loss for the Admirals. He gave up five hits and eight runs in 4.2 innings.

Bayside Academy rallied from a 4-3 deficit in Game 1, scoring four runs each in the fifth and seventh innings. The Admirals finished with 14 hits.

Jake Devalk and Josh Gunther both homered. Gunther was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. Morris, DeValk and Carson Joyner each drove in two runs for Bayside. Gatlin Pitts and Tait Moore each had three hits. Teague Broadhead and Morris had two each.

Gunther pitched a complete game to get the win. He allowed four runs on eight hits and struck out seven. Matthew Cash took the loss for Bibb County. Chris Billingsley homered for Bibb County.

Game 3 is set for noon Saturday.

Westminster Christian 2-12, West Limestone 6-10

Westminster won a wild one to stave off elimination, beating West Limestone 12-10 in the second game of a doubleheader on Friday after falling 6-2 in the opener.

The second game was a see-saw affair as the Wildcats led 6-3 in the top of the fifth only to see West Limestone score six more runs to lead 9-6. Westminster answered with six runs in the bottom of the inning to lead 12-9.

Closer Sean Lapinskeys gave up one run, but he struck out four of the eight batters he faced to end the game and set up a 1 p.m. Game 3 to decide the series.

Westminster (19-10) had four batters with two hits – Lapinskeys, Lawson Collier, Riley Friend and Amos Baldwin – and Caleb Goode drove in four runs in the win.

Colon Patterson led West Limestone (21-9) at the plate, going 3-for-5 and scoring three runs. He also drove in a pair of runs.

In Game 1, West Limestone’s Patterson picked up the win with a complete-game effort. He struck out 10, gave up four hits and two runs.

West Limestone jumped to a 4-0 lead with three runs in the first and one in the third inning. Westminster scored two in the fourth, but couldn’t get any closer.

Caleb Goode took the loss for Westminster, allowing three earned runs on six hits.

Aidan Smith had a pair of hits, with a double and an RBI for West Limestone. Braxton Griffin had a home run in the top of the fifth inning to help seal the win.

– Jimmy Lay

CLASS 3A

Phil Campbell 13-20, J.B. Pennington 2-0

Second-ranked Phil Campbell scored 33 runs in two games to sweep J.B. Pennington.

Robby Robinson hit a grand slam in the first game for the Bobcats. Kyle Pace, Cody Quinn and Sage Raper also homered. Cole Pace pitched all five innings to get the win, scattering five hits and striking out seven.

Phil Campbell scored 14 runs in the top of the third in Game 2 to blow it open. Cam Habada homered and drove in five. Kyle Pace was 3-for-3 with five RBIs. Raper had three RBIs. Eli Taylor limited Pennington to one hit in five innings. He struck out 11.

Phil Campbell will face either Westbrook Christian or Lauderdale County next week in the quarterfinals.

CLASS 2A

Pike Liberal Arts 9-9, Bayshore Christian 6-11

Top-ranked Bayshore Christian and No. 10 Pike Liberal Arts split their doubleheader on Friday.

The two-time Class 1A champion Eagles built an 8-0 lead in a must-win Game 2 on Friday night, the Patriots scored a run in the third, four in the fourth and three in the fifth to tie it at 8-8.

Bayshore took the lead for good with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Mikael Bryant singled in the go-ahead run. Cole Dean drove in Bryant with a single and then scored on a passed ball for an 11-8 lead. Bryant pitched the seventh inning to get the save for Streed Crooms, who gave up six earned runs on 13 hits.

Dean finished with three hits. Bryant had two. Eight Bayshore players had an RBI. Payne Jeffcoat homered for Pike Liberal Arts. Bradford had two hits and two RBIs. John Lott added three hits.

In the first game, KC Bradford hit a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning to give PLA a 9-2 lead. Bayshore scored four runs in the ninth to close the gap.

Bradford was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and the four RBIs. Jeffcoat and Lott drove in two runs each. Luke Barron pitched the first six innings to get the win for the Patriots. Cole Dean took the loss for Bayshore.

Dean homered for the Eagles. William Nance drove in two runs.

Game 3 is set for 1 p.m. Saturday.

Wicksburg 8-0, St. Luke’s 3-5

Kyle Eddington pitched a complete game, scattering six hits in Game 2 as St. Luke’s salvaged a split with Wicksburg in their Class 2A second-round playoff series.

Eddington struck out three and walked three. He also drove in two runs at the plate. St. Luke’s managed just four hits but scored a run in the fourth, two in the fifth and two more in the seventh.

Drew Colson took the loss for Wicksburg. He allowed four hits and three runs – one earned – in five innings. Gabe Glover had two hits.

In the first game, Wicksburg rallied from a 2-1 deficit with two runs in the fifth, one in the sixth and four in the seventh. Colson and Seth Williams each had two hits. Easton Dean went the distance on the mound, allowing three runs on six hits. He struck out 10.

Eddington was 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Wildcats. Chaz Evans took the loss, allowing six runs – four earned – on six hits in 6.1 innings.

Game 3 is set for noon Saturday in Mobile.

This post will be updated