Alexandria’s spring trip gets off to rough start, Oxford run-rules another Spring Break Experience opponent, Piedmont sweeps, Ohatchee splits with Glencoe, but clinches area series
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Ohatchee 9-2, Glencoe 5-5
Oxford 13. American Christian 3
Piedmont 10-16, Cleveland 0-1
Saraland 14-14, Alexandria 13-4 Game 1, (11 inns.)
SARALAND – Alexandria’s traditional spring break trip to south Alabama got off to a tough start Saturday as the Valley Cubs were swept by Saraland 14-13 in 11 innings and 14-4.
The Valley Cubs had the lead in the opener in the seventh (11-8), ninth (12-11) and 11th (13-12) but Saraland answered all three times. They also had leads of 2-0, 7-3 and 10-6 earlier in the game.
The Spartans scored the tying run in the 11th on a two-out, two-strike bases-loaded passed ball with Trevor Pope at the plate and, after Pope ultimately walked, the winning run scored on a bases-loaded walk to Brooke Womble.
Sam Wade’s sacrifice fly gave Alexandria a 13-12 led in the top of the inning.
Ian Cartwright’s bases-loaded walk gave the Valley Cubs a 12-11 lead in the ninth, but Saraland tied it on C.T. Englebert’s sacrifice fly. Both teams went down in order in the 10th.
The Valley Cubs took advantage of some loose Saraland defense to score eight unearned runs in the first six innings.
Austin Jeffers’ two-run homer highlighted a five-run third inning that put the Cubs ahead for good in the opener, 7-3. That loose defense helped the Cubs score three in the sixth to make it 10-6 and provide some breathing room.
Saraland loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning. The Cubs almost got out of the jam, but Christopher Hilliard hit a two-out, two-run single to center to make it 10-8.
The Cubs went up 11-8 in the seventh. Tucker Kilgore got it started with a leadoff single after fouling off four straight two-strike pitches, moved to second on a balk and third on a ground out. He scored on Seth Johnson’s squeeze bunt.
Womble’s two-run triple to right with two outs in the home seventh tied the game.
The game featured 85 combined at bats, 25 hits, 18 walks and 450 pitches.
Austin West, Wade, Cartwright and Kilgore all had two hits for Alexandria. Mathew Milner went 5-for-7 for Saraland.
Milner continued his hot hitting in the nightcap. He went 3-for-4 with a double, triple, walk-off two-run single in the sixth and six RBIs. Two Spartans pitchers held the Valley Cubs to five hits. Samuel Henegar had two of Alexandria’s hits.
Alexandria 205 003 101 01 – 13 12 1
Saraland 031 112 301 02 – 14 13 5
WP: Grayson Cole. LP: Brayden Thacker. 2B: Mathew Milner (S), Garrett Phillips (S), Brooks Womble (S), Santae McWilliams (S). 3B: Mathew Milner (S), Brooks Womble (S), Santae McWilliams (S). HR: Austin Jeffers (A).
Oxford 13, American Christian 3: The Yellow Jackets have played four games in the Choccolocco Park Spring Break Experience and have four run-rule victories. They have outscored their four opponents 51-3.
The Jackets took control of the game with a seven-run third inning. Chance Griner had the big hit, a three-run double.
When ACA answered with two in the fourth, they were the first runs Oxford had allowed in 18 Experience innings. They won their first three games in shutouts.
“Our opponents are faceless and the scoreboard lies,” Jackets coach Wes Brooks said. “We’ve got to continue to focus on giving everything that we’ve got on the next pitch.
“As we move forward we will see bigger and better dragons on the mound and as hitters we can’t get complacent. We have to know that we’ve got a lot of work to do in order to accomplish all of the things that this team wants to accomplish.”
Griner finished with four RBIs in the game. Hayes Harrison had two doubles and two RBIs and Caleb Thomas drove in a pair of runs.
The Yellow Jackets have won eight in a row and 13 of their last 14 with the only loss in the stretch coming in the second round of the Perfect Game Showdown.
ACA 000 201 – 3 10 1
Oxford 107 203 – 13 10 1
WP: Hudson Gilman. LP: Johnathan Blount. 2B: Johnathan Blount (A), Carson Sute (A), Forrest Heacock (O), Chance Griner (O), Hayes Harrison 2 (O). 3B: Peyton Watts.
Ohatchee 9-2, Glencoe 5-5: Brent Honaker went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and the Indians opened a 7-0 lead after three innings in the opener went on to clinch the area series.
Honaker had a two-run single in a four-run second inning that gave Ohatchee a 6-0 lead. Garrett Gaskin homered for Glencoe in the fourth inning.
Glencoe won the nightcap behind Kade Crowder’s three-hitter.
The Indians tied the game at 2 in the third on Carson Tittle’s RBI double and Devin Howell’s run-scoring single, but Crowder held them to one hit and two base runners the rest of the game.
Glencoe 000 140 0 – 5 11 3
Ohatchee 241 002 x – 9 6 3
WP: Carson Tittle. LP: Garrett Gaskin. 2B: Grayson Kellett (G), Brent Honaker (O). 3B: Devin Howell (O). HR: Garrett Gaskin (G)
Glencoe 002 120 0 – 5 6 0
Ohatchee 002 000 0 – 2 3 2
WP: Kade Crowder. LP: Jake Roberts. 2B: Garrett Gaskin (G), Austin Mann (G), Carson Tittle (O).
Piedmont 10-16, Cleveland 0-1: Cole Wilson pitched four shutout innings in the opener to get his first career victory and hit his first career homer in the nightcap.
“It was a great day,” Wilson said. “We had a lot of fun and I couldn’t have done anything without my teammates playing behind me.”
He had a lot support — in both games.
Wilson went through the first four innings in 44 pitches and bowed up with a strikeout to end the second after Cleveland loaded the bases with two outs. Jake Austin pitched two no-hit innings with five strikeouts to close out the shutout behind him.
Austin Estes went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a pair of stolen bases in the opener. Max Hanson had two hits and two RBIs, Jack Hayes had two hits and three RBIs, and Noah Reedy had two hits.
Sloan Smith got his third win in the nightcap. Hanson had two more hits and an RBI in the nightcap. McClane Mohon had two hits and two RBIs and Brodey Brothers had two hits and three RBIs. Wilson’s homer was a three-run shot in the fourth.
Piedmont 230 401 – 10 13 0
Cleveland 000 000 – 0 2 2
WP: Cole Wilson. LP: Robert Curiel. 2B: Max Hanson (P), Jack Hayes (P), McClane Mohon (P). 3B: Noah Reedy (P).
Piedmont 741 31 – 16 13 0
Cleveland 000 10 – 1 3 1
WP: Sloan Smith. LP: Ace Kon. 2B: Brodey Brothers (P), Max Hanson (P), McClane Mohon (P), Robert Curiel (C). 3B: McClane Mohon (P), Jaxon Glass (C). HR: Cole Wilson (P).
