Local baseball roundup: Donoho sweeps, Oxford swept, Jacksonville splits to force Game 3 in second round of playoffs
AREA PLAYOFF RESULTS
Alexandria 5-10, John Carroll 1-7
Ariton 7-8, Ranburne 6-2
Donoho 12-5, Sumiton Christian 0-1
Elkmont 14-21, Hokes Bluff 13-0
Gordo 9-11, Munford 1-1
Hazel Green 11-2, Oxford 3-1
Jacksonville 4-12, Madison County 11-2
Lindsay Lane 10-8, Ragland 2-3
Piedmont 4-5, Childersburg 1-0
Westbrook Christian 6-8, Sulligent 4-2
Mars Hill 20-5, Spring Garden 3-9
SUMITON – Peyton Webb has turned into a power hitter in the playoffs.
The Donoho outfielder had hit only one homer in his first 20 games this season, but he has four in his last nine playoff at-bats. He hit one in each game Friday as the Falcons flexed their muscles for the second week in a row and swept Sumiton Christian 12-0, 5-1 in the second round of the Class 1A playoffs.
The Falcons (19-5) will play Covenant Christian (16-7) in the quarterfinals.
Donoho has outscored its two playoff opponents by a combined score of 52-2. The Falcons have hit 11 home runs and held their opponents to 12 hits.
Slade Haney pitched his second playoff one-hitter in a row – with Judson Billings throwing six pitches to get the final out – in the opener. Haney struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings and has fanned 16 in 11 2/3 playoffs innings this season.
The Falcons hit two homers in each game and have now homered in eight consecutive games (16 HRs). Webb homered in both games and has hit four in his last three games. Lucas Elliott hit one on the opener and Tyler Allen went back-to-back with Webb in the nightcap.
Webb went 6-for-7 with four RBIs in the doubleheader (8-for-9 in his last three playoff games) and Elliott went 4-for-7 with three RBIs.
Blake Sewell got the win in the second game, giving up four hits and striking out seven over six innings. Billings closed it out again, facing four batters in the seventh inning.
Oxford swept on road
HAZEL GREEN – Sophomore right-hander Carter Johnson gave Oxford another Game 2 playoff gem, but Hazel Green rallied for two unearned runs off reliever Hayes Harrison in the top of the seventh to edge the Yellow Jackets 2-1 and sweep them out of the Class 6A playoffs.
The Trojans won the opener 11-3.
Johnson threw a no-hitter in Game 2 against Gardendale last week and was working on another gem before giving up a leadoff single in the fourth. He gave up only two hits, walked one and struck out seven before running up on his pitch limit.
Harrison struck out the first two batters he faced in the seventh, but an error in the infield gave the Trojans an opening. Harrison then issued an intentional walk and hit a batter to load the bases before Tarpley Priest smashed a two-run double to center field.
The Jackets cut down a third run at the plate to end the inning, but they couldn’t get another going in the bottom of the inning as Jackson Baeder set them down in order to end the game.
Sam Robertson gave the Jackets a 1-0 lead in the third with a solo homer.
Oxford took a 2-0 lead in the opener on pitcher Peyton Watts’ two-run homer, but then it was all Hazel Green. The Trojans tied it in the bottom of the inning and scored 11 straight runs before Chance Griner got Oxford on the board again with a two-out solo homer in the sixth.
Golden Eagles get to Game 3
GURLEY – Tito Canales hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs and Kody Willingham pitched a one-hitter as Jacksonville turned the tables on Madison County, winning Game 2 of their Class 4A playoff series 12-2 to force a winner-take-all third game Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Tigers won Game 1, 11-4.
The Golden Eagles collected 11 hits in the nightcap. Willingham, Canales and Jim Ogle each had two. Ogle had three RBIs and Jackson Bonner and Jacoby Zackery each had two. Bonner’s two-run single in the third broke a 2-2 tie and put Jacksonville up for good. Ogle had a two-run double and Zackery a two-run single in the sixth that helped get them to the run rule.
Willingham pitched a complete game for the Golden Eagles. The only hit he allowed was a two-out single in the second. He struck out 11.
Madison County took the lead in the opener with a five-run second inning. Jacksonville scored two in the top of the first on JaeTaj Morris’ steal of home and an RBI single by Ogle. [*** read more]
