Eagles grind out sweep over Huntsville
BIRMINGHAM -- This was the definition of playoff baseball.
There were red, white and blue ribbons strapped to the handrails. There was enthusiasm on both sides of the bleachers. There were water bottles filled with rocks, to use as loud shakers. There was even a cowbell somewhere in those bleachers.
Most importantly, Class 7A No. 2 Oak Mountain earned a hard-fought sweep of Huntsville on a perfect night for baseball, winning the Friday doubleheader 6-4 and 6-2.
“We talk sometimes about working the cut,” said Oak Mountain head coach Derek Irons. “You go to an MMA fight and you want to see the big knockout right out of the gate. That’s fun and great and that’s what everybody is there to see. But the reality is that doesn’t happen very much. You’ve just got to work and work and work, and maybe try to open a cut, and work that cut.”
If that is the case, then Oak Mountain threw quite a few jabs at Huntsville.
Game 1: Oak Mountain 6, Huntsville 4
Oak Mountain got two runs in the bottom of the sixth to break a 4-4 tie to earn the victory. After a Dylan Fraser walk and sacrifice bunt by Jacob Williams, an errant throw from the Huntsville third baseman allowed Fraser to score, making it 5-4.
Two batters later, Garrett DeAraujo singled in a run to make it a 6-4 game.
The Eagles started hot, scoring three runs in the second inning. Logan Sheaffer doubled in two, and one batter later Joseph Hartsfield singled him in to make it 3-0. A dropped ball by the Huntsville left fielder in the third allowed Ethan Holsembeck to score.
Huntsville plated three runs in the top of the fourth, scoring on two RBI singles and a run-scoring groundout. The Panthers tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the sixth when Peyton Lee singled in Garrett Corning.
For Oak Mountain, Sheaffer went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Mason Williamson collected two hits as well. Gene Hurst pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and three runs. He left the game with arm soreness, but Irons said he should be OK.
“We had so many guys in that first game kind of step up and do different jobs here and there that didn’t show up in the headline, but it absolutely was (a team effort),” Irons said.
For Huntsville, Tyson Lee was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Thomas Patterson and Terry Morris had RBI singles.
Game 2: Oak Mountain 6, Huntsville 2
The Eagles came through in the sixth inning yet again. Down 2-0 with two on and no outs, an error on the Huntsville third baseman allowed Andrew Heiberger to score. Dylan Fraser then bunted for a single to load the bases. That’s when it got interesting.
Jacob Williams bunted the ball over the third baseman’s head, and the ball looked like it could have been foul, but it was ruled fair. A run scored, tying the game at 2-2. One batter later, Sheaffer singled in Fraser to give Oak Mountain a 3-2 advantage. A sacrifice bunt by Hartsfield plated Williams to go up 4-2.
“We’ve had trouble scoring in the late innings in the past, but we were getting bunts down, and when you get bunts down, good things happen,” Sheaffer said.
Hartsfield, the Oak Mountain starting pitcher, then struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth on nine pitches, sending the Oak Mountain faithful into a frenzy. The Eagles scored two more runs in the top of the seventh -- Ethan Holsembeck on a wild pitch and John McDonald on a Williamson double -- to go up 6-2.
Hartsfield threw a complete game, allowing one earned run on five hits. He struck out 10 Huntsville batters. Williamson finished 3-for-4.
For Huntsville, Christian Macleod struck out 10 batters in six innings. He allowed three earned runs.
“I was so proud of how, those first five innings we had nothing to show for on the scoreboard, but we were just working and working,” Irons said. “That was probably the best pitcher we’ve seen all year.”
Oak Mountain will face the winner of Sparkman-Vestavia Hills in the second round next week. Oak Mountain would host Sparkman and travel to Vestavia Hills, depending on the series winner.
“We’ve got grit,” Sheaffer said. “We’ve got determination. We’ve got great leadership from the seniors. We feel like we can take the state championship home.”