Lions grind out split in first round
BIRMINGHAM – Briarwood Christian School was on the ropes Friday night.
The second-ranked Lions gutted out a 4-2 win in Game 2 of a best-of-three series in the first round of the Class 5A baseball playoffs against Beauregard, which won Game 1, 5-1.
The decisive Game 3 will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Jay D. Kynerd Filed on the Briarwood Christian School campus. The winner of the series will face Calera, which swept Dallas County by scores of 10-0 and 16-0.
“We told them these guys are really good and have been,” Briarwood head coach Steve Renfroe said of Beauregard. “They’re well coached. Our guys knew that. For us, we just have to play. We’re not going to overpower anybody.”
Game 1 - Beauregard 5, Briarwood 1
Game 1 was a pitcher’s duel for the first four innings before Beauregard (14-14) took control. Briarwood led 1-0 on a Hudson Hartsfield run-scoring triple in the fourth, but Beauregard managed three runs in the fifth to take control. Dennis Porterfield singled in Austin Blackmon. A costly error then allowed the inning to continue, and Collin Harris was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to push the Hornets ahead 2-1. Ki Holmes singled in Jacob Gaither to put Beauregard up 3-1.
Gaither’s sacrifice bunt scored Blackmon in the sixth and Zebediah Baird singled in Holmes in the top of the seventh for the 5-1 lead.
Nathan Johnson threw a complete game five-hitter for Beauregard. He allowed one earned run and struck out two.
“The kid on the mound just dominated,” Renfroe said. “He wiggled off the hook, but you’ve got to tip your hat because he did it. It just shows his toughness. He wasn’t afraid to throw any pitch in any count. He wasn’t worried about giving in to anybody, even with guys on.”
For Briarwood (24-5), Jonah Carroll took the loss. He pitched five innings and allowed three runs.
Hartsfield was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Carson Eddy, Sam Hamner, and Michael Hiers all collected singles for Briarwood Christian.
“They were the best team in Game 1,” Renfroe said. “That was kind of the story.”
Game 2 - Briarwood 4, Beauregard 2
Briarwood got a run on an Eli Steadman groundout in the second inning. Blackmon tied the game in the bottom half of the second on a run-scoring infield single. He then scored on a sacrifice fly by Porterfield to give Beauregard a 2-1 lead. Beauregard didn’t score again.
Eddy smacked a game-tying solo home run in the top of the sixth inning. In the top of the seventh, Hartsfield singled to left, scoring Hamner for a 3-2 lead. Hiers’ sacrifice fly scored Hartsfield to put the Lions up 4-2.
Hiers pitched a complete game five-hitter, allowing two runs on five hits. He struck out four.
“Michael was the reason,” Renfroe said. “He just willed us to that win. He just said, ‘Y’all get me a lead and I’ll win it.’ Their pitcher was tough as nails, unafraid. He’s doing the same thing. And yet we found a way. That was the nutshell of the game, really, just pitchers that did a great job.”
Hartsfield collected two more hits in Game 2, and Eddy had the home run. Holmes took the loss for Beauregard, allowing four runs in 6 1/3 innings.
Game 3 will start at 1 p.m. Saturday, with the winner moving on to the second round of the Class 5A playoffs against Calera.
“I think this is really what playoff baseball is about,” Renfroe said. “Rubber game tomorrow, and both teams I know will be ready to play.”
Briarwood pulled off an improbable comeback to beat Beauregard, 9-8, on Saturday in Game 3. Read the recap of that game here.
Hornets sweep Stanhope
Chelsea swept Stanhope Elmore in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs Friday night.
The Hornets won 10-9 in Game 1 and 10-0 in Game 2.
Chelsea moves on to face Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa in the second round next week.
Game 1 – Chelsea 10, Stanhope Elmore 9
Seven different Chelsea batters collected hits in Game 1, five of which recorded multi-hit games. Stanhope Elmore raced out to a 5-2 lead after one inning, but Chelsea scored four runs in the third, and two more in each of the fourth and fifth innings to hold off the Mustangs.
Carter Frederick was 2-for-3 with three runs batted in to lead the Hornets. Riley Watkins was 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Will Peacock had one hit and two RBIs, while Will Hayes, Clay DeWeese and Bennett Horton all collected two hits apiece. That trio combined to score seven runs.
Cameron Gage earned the win, allowing two earned runs on one hit across four innings. He struck out five batters. Connor Ball pitched three innings and allowed one earned run on three hits.
For Stanhope Elmore, Chase Eddings drove in three runs, while Brody Feith drove in two.
GAME 2 – Chelsea 10, Stanhope Elmore 0
Chelsea used a six-run fifth inning to mercy rule Stanhope Elmore in Game 2. The story of Game 2 was Emmitt Hudspeath, who threw a five-inning no-hitter for the Hornets. He struck out 10 batters and walked three.
For Chelsea, William Root and Connor Griffin each drove in two runs. Hayes and DeWeese each recorded two hits in Game 2. Watkins scored three runs and drove in a run. Also collecting RBIs were DeWeese, Nolan Forehand, and Hayes.