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- Updated: April 2, 2017
White Plains’ Spivey hits another Spring Break Experience homer, but Wildcats fall to Auburn
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
OXFORD – There is little question where the heart of White Plains’ order is right now.
Whenever Jake Spivey comes to the plate, the expectations of the Wildcats are something big is about to happen.
The Wildcats dropped their final game of the Choccolocco Park Spring Break Experience Saturday, 12-2 to Auburn, but Spivey was right in the middle of their offense.
His two-run homer in the fourth inning gave them a chance to prolong the game before the Tigers closed it out with three in the fifth. It was his third homer of the Experience and fourth of the season.
“He’s swinging the bat really well, has swung the bat all year really well,” White Plains coach Wes Henderson said. “Right now he’s our best guy going and he’s just got to stay with it and not try to do too much.
“A lot of times guys have a tendency to start trying to hit everything out once he’s had a little success, but I don’t think he’s going to do that. He’ll be just fine. He’s carrying us right now at the plate.”
Spivey came into the Experience batting .476. He went 8-for-16 in the Wildcats’ six games this week with three homers and seven RBIs. He hit two out in their loss to Etowah.
The homer Saturday came in his second at-bat, right after he lined into a double play his first time to the plate. In the past that would have affected his approach going forward, but this time he tried to not let it get him down.
“I used to get pretty angry when I struck out and I got out,” he said. “Now, whenever I get out I’m just thinking toward the next at-bat and not the last at-bat, just try to do better the next at-bat. It’s hard, but I try to control it.”
Auburn used the long ball to take control of the game. Teddy Benda’s solo homer helped the Tigers take a 2-0 lead in the third before they broke it open with a seven-run fourth. Spivey’s homer made it a 9-2 game, but the Tigers closed it out with three in the fifth.
Auburn followed that victory with an 11-6 win over Etowah. The Blue Devils rallied from an early 8-0 deficit to make it an 8-6 game after six innings before the Tigers sealed it with three in the seventh. Brooks Fuller and Clay Golson both drove in three runs for Auburn. Noah Parrish went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Etowah.
White Plains returns to action Tuesday to open an important series with Cherokee County. The teams are currently tied for their area lead having each won their area openers.
Game One of the series also falls on the day right fielder Michael McGuirk will be in Montgomery to take part in the Mr. Basketball luncheon, so his return for the start of the afternoon game will be a tight fit. McGuirk is a finalist for Class 4A Player of the Year.
Henderson wasn’t certain how he was going to play it. McGuirk hit his first career homer in the Wildcats’ area opener against Hokes Bluff, a series they won in a tiebreaker.
“Mike thinks that he’ll be back in time,” Henderson said. “If he’s not, we’ll stick another guy out there and we’ll just roll with it.
“I told him to go and enjoy that experience. We don’t want to take away from that, but he understands the importance of the Cherokee County series so he’s going to do everything he can to be back. And if he’s not, we’re not going check up, we’ll just keep rolling with it.”
Auburn 12, White Plains 2
Auburn 002 73 — 12 12 1
White Plains 000 20 — 2 3 2
WP: Taylor Adcock. LP: Brennon Roper. 2B: Andrew Cronan (W). HR: Teddy Benda (A), Jake Spivey (W). Hits – Auburn: Rowdy Jordan, Tanner Jones 3, Trey Woodham, Teddy Benda, Rawlins Cleveland, Clayton Phillips 3, Griffin Brown 2; White Plains: Andrew Cronan, Jake Spivey, Brett Beaver. RBIs – Auburn: Rowdy Jordan, Tanner Jones 2, Teddy Benda, Rawlins Cleveland, Clayton Phillips 2, Griffin Brown; White Plains: Jake Spivey 2.
To see more pictures from Saturday’s Spring Break Experience games, go to www.bjfranklin.smugmug.com
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