Marathon men
- Updated: March 18, 2017
Prep roundup: After JCA rallies twice, Faith Christian holds on in 11th to win; includes softball, golf, basketball results
By East Alabama Sports Today
JACKSONVILLE – Faith Christian coach Brad Yarbrough was beginning to wonder if his team’s area opener with Jacksonville Christian Friday was ever going to end.
Faith held leads in the seventh and ninth innings before JCA put together two-out rallies in the home half of each to extend the game before the Lions ultimately won it 9-8 with two in the top of the 11th and holding on.
“It was a great game, especially being the first area game we play,” Yarbrough said. “I was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to end. It was backs-to-the-wall for both teams and both teams made plays. We did when we had to have them.”
The Lions (2-7) eventually scored their winning runs in the 11th when the Thunder misplayed first-year baseball player Seth Cravens’ two-out roller up the first base line. But it took a while to get there.
Faith took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh, but JCA tied it on a bloop double and an error.
The Lions took a 7-4 lead in the ninth on Jack Sills’ two-run double and a passed ball, but JCA retied it with three runs on three two-out errors in the bottom of the inning.
“We’ve got a young team and at that point I was a little nervous about how we’d respond,” Yarbrough said. “But we came in and got it done.”
Sills and Riley Camp both went 3-for-6. Julien Key went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs. Sills started on the mound for Faith and went five innings, striking out six. Brodie Dodson worked the next three innings and Camp pitched the last three to get the win.
Ohatchee 16, Donoho 1: The Indians got back on track after Thursday’s seventh-inning loss at Saks. They went home after that gave and practiced until 7:30 p.m. and practiced after Friday’s win as well.
SOFTBALL
Friday’s results
Alexandria 14, Elmore County 1
Alexandria 16, Central-Hayneville 0
Cleburne County 4, Oxford 0
Cleburne County 8, Leeds 1
JCA 12, Winterboro 11
Spain Park 10, Pleasant Valley 8
Springville 9, Lincoln 3
White Plains 2, Alabama Christian 1
White Plains 7, Brewbaker Tech 3
Alexandria 16, Central-Hayneville 0: The Lady Cubs erupted for 15 runs in the first inning and Leighton Sparks didn’t allow a hit in her three innings in the circle. The Cubs sent 18 batters to the plate in the first and the first 11 reached safely. Leighton Sparks had a pair of two-run hits in the inning.
Alexandria 14, Elmore County 1: Millie Burt hit a grand slam and Timberlyn Shurbutt had two RBI singles in an eight-run second inning that powered the Lady Cubs to this victory. The first four hitters in Alexandria’s lineup – Shurbutt, Mattie Wade, Jessica Shaw and Allison Bonds – were a combined 9-for-11 with nine RBIs. Shaw homered in both games.
Spain Park 10, Pleasant Valley 8: Top-ranked 7A Spain Park erased a 1-0 deficit with 10 runs in the second inning, but the Lady Raiders almost came all the way back. They had the tying run at the plate with no outs, but Lady Jags reliever Annabelle Widra quelled the threat with a pop out and two strikeouts. Savannah Williams and Cortney Williams both hit three-run homers for PV. Savannah Williams, McKinley Parris, Taylor Williams and Alisa St. John all had two hits for the Lady Raiders.
White Plains 2, Alabama Christian 1: Winning pitcher Ashlyn Hinton drove home a run in the first inning and Lauren Dodson singled home a run in the fifth.
White Plains 7, Brewbaker Tech 3: Carley Wood was among five White Plains hitters with two hits and she drove in three runs. The Lady Wildcats scored four in the first inning and never looked back.
Springville 9, Lincoln 3: The game was close in the fifth inning, but some loose play in the field combined with some well-timed hits allowed the top-ranked 5A Lady Tigers to pull away. Stay Curry (two hits), leading hitter Taylor Houck and Victoria Mitchell (double) drove in runs for the fifth-ranked Lady Bears.
GOLF
White Plains sweeps Oxford: In nine-hole matches at Pine Hill, the White Plains girls defeated Oxford 135-155 and the boys won 163-174.
Nathan Griffin led the White Plains boys team with a 39, but Josh Davis was medalist with a 1-over-par 37. Jeremy Allen shot Oxford’s low round (41).
White Plains’ Lexee Cunningham was medalist in the girls match (41).
The White Plains boys return to action Friday at Silver Lakes. The Wildcats are expected to be paired with Oneonta, which should offer a preview of who will make it to the state tournament in Auburn from the North sectional. Westminster Christian also is in the field.
WHITE PLAINS BOYS (163): Cameron McCareeth 41, Nathan Griffin 39, Colman Hayes 40, Andrew Miller 43, P.J. Sotelo 44. Others: Josh Davis 37, Kenny Okins 39.
OXFORD BOYS (174): Will Turley 46, Jeremy Allen 41, Keaton Borrelli 45, Jake Munroe 42, Jackson Filingims 49.
WHITE PLAINS GIRLS (135): Hanna Dyar 44, Lexee Cunningham 41, Ary Rosario 52, Baylie Webb 50.
OXFORD GIRLS (155): Kayla Huckeba 48, Anna Bolton 52, Kaylee Reaves 55.
BASKETBALL
Mississippi sweep: The Mississippi All-Stars swept the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star basketball games for the second year in a row Friday night when the boys won 96-91 and the girls won 93-86 at Alabama State’s Dunn-Oliver Arena.
Mississippi MVP Jarkel Joiner of Oxford, a Cal State-Bakersfield signee, scored 24 points to lead the winners; he was 10-of-15 from the field. Alabama MVP Herb Jones of Hale County finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Sacred Heart’s D.J. Heath and Kevion Nolan both played significant minutes for Alabama. Heath started and scored two points, grabbed four rebounds and had four assists and four steals in a team-high 25 minutes. Nolan played 16 minutes and scored six points, grabbed four rebounds and had four assists; his 3-pointer with 9:19 to play forced the game’s final tie, 70-70.
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