Playoff baseball: Hornets swept while Lions, Eagles split
A pair of big innings put the Chelsea High School baseball team into a hole that they couldn’t fully crawl out of in a Class 6A second-round playoff series against visiting Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa on Friday. All it took was one big inning for Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa in the second game as the Patriots swept their way into the next round with 9-6 and 4-3 victories over the Hornets.
Game 1: Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 9, Chelsea 6
Chelsea fell into a 6-2 hole after three innings. The Patriots built that lead on the strength of three-run innings in the second and third frames. The Hornets hurt themselves in the second inning with a walk, hit batter and error, which all helped lead to the three runs. In the third inning, the Patriots opened with four consecutive hits.
Will Hayes and Carter Frederick led the Hornets in the first game. Hayes had three hits, including a double, and a run. Frederick had a double, home run and three RBIs.
Game 2: Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 4, Chelsea 3
The Hornets carried a 2-1 lead into the fifth inning, where things unraveled quickly. Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa sandwiched a pair of walks around a fielder’s choice groundball and then made the walks hurt. The Patriots scored three runs with Christian Jones’ single driving home the final two runs.
Chelsea, which had taken the early lead with a two-run third inning, pulled within a run in the sixth inning. William Root drew a two-out walk, moved to third on Bennett Horton’s single and scored on a passed ball. The Hornets were unable to score the tying run.
Chelsea managed just three hits with Hayes, Horton and Sam Towery collecting base knocks.
Briarwood earns split
Michael Hiers spun a gem on Friday evening to ensure that the Briarwood Christian School baseball team would play at least one more day. With his team facing possible elimination from the Class 5A baseball playoffs, following a 10-5 loss to Calera in the first game on Friday afternoon, Hiers allowed just three hits in a 3-1 victory for the Lions.
The doubleheader split sets up the deciding game on Saturday at Calera, with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
Game 1: Calera 10, Briarwood 5
Things actually began well for the Lions, who built a 4-1 lead after their first two at-bats. Parker Scott provided the first three runs with a bases-loaded double in the first inning.
The early advantage was quickly and decisively erased in the bottom of the second inning when Calera used six singles and two walks to score seven runs. The Lions were unable to get back into the game afterward.
Carson Eddy led Briarwood with three hits and a run scored and Scott had the double, two walks and four RBIs. Hudson Hartsfield had two hits, two runs and an RBI.
Game 2: Briarwood 3, Calera 1
Hiers got the better of a pitcher’s duel with UAB signee Tyler O’Clair in the second game. The Calera right-hander allowed four hits and three runs (two earned), while striking out 11 and walking four. Hiers was just a touch better, allowing just one unearned run while striking out eight and walking one in the complete game win.
Both teams manufactured a first-inning run, before the game settled into the duel on the mound. Even the biggest offensive inning of the game – a two-run fifth by the Lions – was far from explosive. Briarwood began the inning with a walk to Eddy and Hiers followed by reaching on a dropped third strike. After Scott’s groundout moved both runners up, Wesley Helms’ infield single loaded the bases.
Eli Steadman provided the go-ahead run on an RBI single and Hiers gave the Lions an insurance run by scoring on a wild pitch.
Calera threatened in the seventh inning, putting the first two runners on base after an error and hit by batter. Hiers got out of the jam with a pair of pop outs and a ground out.
Eagles headed for Game 3
The Oak Mountain High School baseball team will have to win on Saturday in order to advance in the Class 7A playoffs. The Eagles split a first round doubleheader with Bob Jones on Friday.
Game 3 is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Bob Jones, with the winner advancing to face Huntsville, who swept Vestavia Hills on Friday.
Game 1: Oak Mountain 12, Bob Jones 3
In a game that was tied at 3-3 after five innings, the Eagles exploded for nine runs over the final two innings to run away with a 12-3 victory in Game 1 of the series.
Landon Cato’s three-run homer tied the game in the fourth inning, and Oak Mountain scored four in the sixth and five in the seventh to put Bob Jones away.
Caleb Ragland racked up three hits, including a double, with two RBIs in the game. Cato, Gene Hurst, Andrew Heiberger, Hunter Hall and Luke Percer all notched a pair of hits. Hurst got the start on the mound as well, and struck out 11 batters over six innings of work.
Game 2: Bob Jones 5, Oak Mountain 1
The Eagles bats fell quiet in Game 2 of the series, as Oak Mountain was unable to hang onto a 1-0 lead in a 5-1 loss.
Oak Mountain scored its lone run of the game in the third inning without the benefit of a hit, thanks to four walks in the inning. A three-run homer in the following half inning gave Bob Jones the lead and the Patriots added two more to their total in the fifth.
Hall had the Eagles’ only hit in the game. Wesley Dennis went the distance on the mound, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits, with three walks and six strikeouts.