New White Plains baseball coach wins managerial debut in wild season opener
Dawson Taylor hopes all of his games as a baseball coach don’t go like his first one. Except the winning part, of course.
The new White Plains coach won his varsity managerial debut Saturday in a wild 11-9 victory over Randolph County. The game had five lead changes as the Wildcats pulled it out with four in the bottom of the sixth and a 1-2-3 inning from Duke Barnett in the seventh to lock it down.
“I hope we have a few that are not as much a roller coaster,” Taylor said. “That’s what I told (Chandler) Tyree in the bottom of the last inning. I told him I hope they’re not all like this.”
Taylor was hired to take the program after Tyree stepped aside after last season to concentrate on football. Interestingly, on White Plains’ Opening Day last year, the new coach was the first-base umpire.
The Wildcats led 5-1 after four innings, but lost the lead to five in the top of the fifth. They got the lead back in the bottom of the inning, then gave up three in the sixth.
Miles Austin, Cooper Tinney and Will Caldwell all drove in runs in the sixth and pinch-runner Dylan Barksdale raced home on a dropped third strike throw to first. Barnett pitched the last three innings and put the Tigers down in order in the seventh on a groundout and the last two of his seven strikeouts.
Barnett hit a two-run homer in the first. Tinney had two extra-base hits and three RBIs. Braxton Curles had three hits.
“It’s always nice to win the first one,” Taylor said. “The pressure’s off. It’s looking like it’ll be a wash next week so it’s going to give us a good taste next week working on ourselves. The kids have worked really hard and we’ve challenged. We’re trying to change the culture of the program and they’ve accepted it.
“It wasn’t a clean game, but it was good to battle through some adversity and get the first one.”
OXFORD 14, MOBILE CHRISTIAN 4: The Yellow Jackets erupted for 10 runs in the fifth inning to erase a 4-0 deficit and get its first victory of the season. The Jackets sent 15 batters to the plate in their big inning and took advantage of seven walks, an error and a hit batsman. Miguel Mitchell’s bases-loaded walk put them ahead for good.
HOOVER 7, OXFORD 1: The Bucs took control with a six-run fifth. Jack Campbell held the Jackets to one hit with nine strikeouts over the first five innings. Peyton Watts had two of Oxford’s hits and Carter Johnson drove in its only run.
ALEXANDRIA 12, HOKES BLUFF 0: Sam Wade had three hits and three RBI and Austin West and two other pitchers held Hokes Bluff to one hit over five innings as the Valley Cubs opened their season with a shutout. Ian Cartwright and Seth Johnson each had two hits for the Valley Cubs.
WELLBORN 20, TALLADEGA 2: Beau Neely’s season got off to a rousing start. He went 3-for-5 with a triple and homer, drove in three runs and scored five in the Panthers’ Opening Day rout. Winning pitcher JoJo Wyatt went 3-for-5 at the plate and struck out 12 in five innings on the mound. Brennan Talley and Cam Ingram each had two hits for Wellborn.
JCA 10, GASTON 8: Cam Moses went 3-for-4 with five RBIs and allowed one hit while striking out seven on the mound as the Thunder won its season opener. Travis Barnhill drove in a pair of runs for the Thunder. [*** read more]
