Anniston, AL – Donoho celebrates Gendron’s 10th season while beating Gaston in area play. Alexandria, Cleburne County, Jacksonville, Oxford, Piedmont and Wellborn score area victories. (Will be updated as more results come in)
On a night when Donoho celebrated head coach Steve Gendron’s 10th season, Marcus Lawler homered, doubled and drove in two runs to lead the Falcons to a 7-5 victory over Gaston in Class 2A, Area 13 play.
Donoho bagged its second consecutive victory to improve to 7-11.
Gendron’s 10 seasons include all of Donoho’s deepest playoff runs, including the Falcons’ Class 1A runner-up finish in 2021. The Falcons have reached at least the quarterfinals every season but 2020, dating back to 2019.
There were no 2020 playoffs because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Donoho’s success forced a move up to Class 2A in baseball, under the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s competitive balance rule.
As for Wednesday’s ceremony, several former players attended.
“The ceremony was a surprise, and it was great to see a bunch of the old guys,” Gendron said. “It’s always good to have them around, because they remember what it used to be like.
“They paved the way. Wish they could put a uniform on and still play.”
Peyton Webb added a double and RBI, and Donoho got an RBI apiece from Hayes Farrell and Blake Sewell. Jordan Cameron went 2-for-3 with a run.
Sewell struck out 15 batters in 6 2/3 innings. He allowed three hits and one earned run.
JACKSONVILLE 10, WHITE PLAINS 2: Will Greenwood and Coleman Guthrie combined to hold White Plains to five hits and one earned run as Jacksonville improved to 13-11 with a victory in Class 4A, Area 9 play.
Greenwood pitched six innings, allowing four hits and one earned run with six strikeouts, and Guthrie stuck out one batter in one inning of work.
Jacksonville got an RBI apiece from Greenwood, Kingston Peeler, Xaye Lemon, Jackson Bonner and Bradyn Loggins. Gavin Peeler doubled and scored two runs, and Matthew Salmon went 2-for-4.
Cooper Tinney led White Plains, going 2-for-4 with a run.
WELLBORN 15, WEAVER 5: Brennan Talley went 3-for-3 with a home run, double and three RBIs, and Wellborn scored a victory in Class 3A, Area 10 play.
Aziah Amberson went 3-for-3 with four runs and three RBIs, and Zachary Pressley went 1-for-3 with a run and three RBIs.
Tanner Ingram tripled and scored two runs, and Sean Perez went 2-for-5 with a double and two runs. W Phillips had a double and an RBI, and Cameron O’Brien went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
Talley pitched five innings, allowing two hits with six strikeouts.
Weaver got a double and an RBI from Haiden Hise. Tucker Michaels went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Connor Hyatt had a single and RBI.
PIEDMONT 26, SAKS 0: Piedmont (14-8) pounded out 14 hits and benefited from 13 hit batsmen to tie a state record.
Saks pitchers hit Hayes Gunn four times, also tying a state record for one player. If he wears one in hits first at bat against winless Saks tomorrow, he’ll break the record.
Jonah Pike and Kale Austin homered. Austin went 2-for-2 with a run and a team-high five RBIs, and Pike had two RBIs and scored four runs.
Cole Austin went 2-for-3 with a triple, three runs and four RBIs. McClane Mohon went 2-for-2 with a double, three runs and four RBIs, and Cole Wilson went 3-for-3 with four RBIs.
Trevor Pike went 2-for-3 with four runs and two RBIs.
Cole Wilson pitched a two-hitter with eight strikeouts in five innings.
OXFORD 4, FORT PAYNE 1: R.J. Brooks pitched a one-hitter with nine strikeouts, and Oxford (18-8) won in Class 6A, Area 13 play.
Forrest Heacock and Carter Johnson each had a triple and an RBI, and Nick Richardson went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run.
ALEXANDRIA 9, LINCOLN 2: Ian Cartwright homered and drove in two runs, and Alexandria (15-8) won in Class 5A, Area 12 play.
Ty Brown went 2-for-3 with a run and three RBIs, and Samuel Henegar was 3-for-3 with a run. Aiden Brunner was 2-for-3 with two runs.
Eli Barnes and Nic Thompson each had a single and an RBI, and Evan Snow had a double and scored a run.
Andrew Allen struck out 15 batters in six innings. He allowed four hits and two earned runs.
Lincoln’s Carson Perez hit a solo home run, and Cole East had a double and RBI.
CLEBURNE COUNTY 17-17, ANNISTON 0-0: Kannon Robertson went 3-for-4 with two triples and five RBIs in the opener, and Jayson Deese hit a three-run home run in the second game as Cleburne County (11-4) won in Class 4A, Area 9 play.
Nathan Adams went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs in the opener, and Gabriel Wickersham singled with two RBIs.
Hunter Gore was 2-for-3 with a double, three runs and an RBI, and Silas Altman went 2-for-4 with a a triple, a double and an RBI.
Jake Littleton and Deese each had a double and an RBI.
Littleton, Altman and Tucker Gaines combined to pitch a one-hitter.
In Game 2, Gore matched Deese’s four RBIs, going 2-for-2 with a double and two runs. Littleton, Wickersham and Adams each had two hits and two RBIs.
Adams and Aiden Laminack combined to pitch a one-hitter.
