Starting pitchers trade zeroes all game, Donoho puts together rally in bottom of eighth to beat 3A foe
By Al Muskewitz
OXFORD — As good as the two pitchers were throwing Tuesday, Slade Haney knew it would take something extraordinary to win the game and the team that got it would feel ecstatic.
It looked like Prattville Christian would pull it off at first and then Donoho rallied. The Falcons put together a two-run rally in the bottom of the eighth to beat the 3A Panthers 2-1 and when Nic Thompson raced home with the winning run on a wild pitch they felt almost like they had just won an area championship.
Donoho coach Steve Gendron called the victory on the Choccolocco Park Signature Field a “good energy win.”
“It’s ecstatic,” said Haney, the Falcons’ pitcher in the fray. “It’s one of those times you really don’t have any feeling. Kind of like going to fourth round (of the playoffs) and winning at Sumiton Christian last year. There really wasn’t a feeling to it. It was just like overall joy all through your body.
“It’s an amazing feeling. It’s one you don’t always get a chance to feel – game on the line that’s close – but that’s a great feeling to have. That’s why you keep playing the game. Definitely.”
Haney and PCA starter Bryce Masters were matching zeroes for seven innings. Haney escaped a couple jams, including bases loaded with one out in the sixth, and Masters, a left-hander Donoho has struggled with, held the Falcons to two Lucas Elliott singles.
“Those duels like that, the pitcher’s duels, those are the most fun games to pitch in,” Haney said. “That high intensity, it’s amazing. I didn’t want to get off the mound.”
It didn’t look like either team was going to scratch until the starters were out. The Panthers finally broke through on a two-out RBI triple to left by Jackson Reed, a name that would become significant in the bottom of the inning.
Haney admitted dropping his head after the triple, but bowed up for the good of his team and finished the inning with some of the hardest pitches he’d thrown all game.
“Personally, I never had the feeling we were out,” Haney said. “When I got back in the dugout I was like it’s probably going to end before I even get an at-bat; it almost did. I had faith in my team we were going to do it.”
The Falcons had the bottom of their lineup due in the bottom of the inning and they delivered to get the rally started.
Tyler Allen took one for the team, taking a two-strike pitch from reliever Parker Blake off the outside of his left knee. He was replaced on the bases by Dean Harrell and Harrell advanced on No. 9 hitter Marcus Lawler’s sacrifice.
“It takes good baseball to get you in a position to do something great like that.” Gendron said. “We did a couple good baseball things late.
“Obviously, the top of our lineup did the damage there at the end to win the ball game, but I thought the bottom of the lineup had better at-bats than the top of the lineup, for the most part.”
Thompson followed with a hot shot that third baseman Cole Houston knocked down towards the middle of the infield. Harrell made the risky decision of trying to get to third and beat the fielder to the bag with a move worthy of the Matrix movies.
“It was kind of risky, but I figured I could get there,” Harrell said.
Blake Sewell then dropped a single into center to tie the game. Thompson raced to third and Sewell went to second on the throw. The Panthers then brought in Reed to pitch to the meat of Donoho’s order.
Reed threw one pitch to Haney and was ordered to intentionally walk him to load the bases.
That brought slugging first baseman Judson Billings to the plate. Reed’s first pitch to Billings went all the way to the backstop and Thompson didn’t hesitate breaking for the plate with the winning run.
“Just during that time I was thinking I’ve got to win this for my team,” Thompson said. “Skip told me right before to be ready. The catcher didn’t pop up real fast so I thought I had it really well. The rally was amazing.
“When the rally started going I was like we’ve got this. When the first guy got hit everyone’s energy popped up and we knew we could win this game.”
Prattville Chr. 000 000 01 – 1 6 1
Donoho 000 000 02 – 2 4 2
WP: Slade Haney. LP: Parker Blake. 2B: Jackson Reed (P), Tanner Byrd (P). 3B: Jackson Reed (P) [*** read more]
