Power brokers
- Updated: March 17, 2018
Saturday roundup: Billings’ walk-off caps 4-homer game for Donoho in split; includes more baseball, golf, softball results reported to East Alabama Sports Today
SATURDAY BASEBALL
Alexandria 5, Montgomery Catholic 4
Anniston 13-6, TCC 12-11
Donoho 1-14, Victory Christian 7-12
Faith Christian 4-3, Winterboro 7-2
Piedmont 18, Montgomery Catholic 16
Ragland 4, Ohatchee 3
Thompson 9, Oxford 4
By East Alabama Sports Today
Donoho used the long ball Saturday to earn a split of its doubleheader with Victory Christian.
Hall Billings and Seth Ford each hit a pair of homers and had five RBIs apiece in the nightcap, with Billings’ blasting a two-run walk-off shot with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to give the Falcons a 14-12 victory. Victory won the opener 7-1.
Ford hit a grand slam and solo shot and Billings had another two-run shot as the Falcons rallied from a 6-2 deficit to take a 12-7 after five innings. Ford’s slam in the fourth gave Donoho its first lead of the game (7-6) and highlighted a seven-run outburst.
“It’s great to see their hard work and effort pay off for them,” Donoho coach Steve Gendron said. “I remember when they couldn’t hit a ball out of the infield playing as eighth-graders; now, they are having multiple home run games. It’s fun to watch, fun to coach.
“They are now the leaders of our team and it showed today. I am very proud of those two young men.”
Making the second game so incredible was how poorly the Falcons played in the opener. They managed only one hit – Hall Billings’ leadoff double in the home first – struck out 14 times and were charged with 11 errors.
First game
Victory Chr. 320 020 0 – 7 6 0
Donoho 001 000 0 – 1 1 11
WP: Sargent. LP: Hall Billings.
2B: Jones (V), Holliday (V), Hall Billings (D). RBIs – Victory: Jones 2, Holliday; Donoho: Edwin Connell.
Second game
Victory Chr. 103 214 1 – 12 11 2
Donoho 101 730 2 – 14 9 2
WP: Blake Willingham. LP: Jones.
2B: Cheatwood (V), Yeager (V), Holliday (V), Staples (V), Sagent (V). 3B: Reid Williamon (D). HR: Hall Billings 2 (D), Seth Ford 2 (D). RBIs – Victory: Yeager, Holliday 4, Sargent 2, Staples, Jurnigan, Williams; Donoho: Hall Billings 5, Blake Willingham, Seth Ford 5, Reid Williamon, Ty Allen.
Thompson 9, Oxford 4: The Yellow Jackets and Warriors played to a similar score earlier this season and this game was “very similar” – the Warriors hit and pitched their way to a win and snapped Oxford’s eight-game winning streak. It was Oxford’s first loss at Choccolocco Park this season and only the second time this year they had to bat in the bottom of the seventh.
Thompson right-hander J.C. Parker pitched a complete game and struck out seven, and had two hits and three RBIs at the plate. He threw 104 pitches, 64 for strikes.
“That’s the first time I thought we’ve seen an arm in probably eight or 10 games,” Oxford coach Wes Brooks said. “A pretty good arm that could throw the fastball good, and we need to see a lot more of those if we’re going to achieve everything that we want to achieve this year.”
Parker got things started with a two-run double in the first inning and scored the third run of the inning. The Yellow Jackets got within 5-4 in the fourth, but Parker retired the last 10 batters he faced from there and the Warriors scored at least one run in each of the last three innings to pull away.
Brody Syer had two hits and two RBIs for the Jackets (10-4).
Thompson 310 111 2 – 9 13 1
Oxford 020 200 0 – 4 5 3
WP: J.C. Parker. LP: Hayden Green.
2B: Nick Freeman (T), J.C. Parker (T), Trey Higgins (O). 3B: Nick Walker (T). RBIs – Thompson: Myles Brown, J.C. Parker 3, Chris Miranda, Josh Huner; Oxford: Brody Syer 2, Trey Higgins.
Piedmont 18, Montgomery Catholic 16: The only way to describe this one was wild. There were 34 runs, 35 hits, 58 base runners, eight pitchers and 297 pitches.
The lead changed hands four times after the second inning. Piedmont jumped out front 5-1, but the Knights took a 7-5 lead with six runs in the third. The Bulldogs went back up 8-7 and extended it 11-7, but the Knights erupted for eight in the fifth to go up 15-11.
The Bulldogs went back up 16-15 in the sixth with Mason Mohon delivering a two-run double and Logan Pruitt a two-run single. They stretched the lead to 18-15 with two in the seventh on Nick Johnson’s RBI single and an RBI ground out by Jack Hayes, then held on as the Knights had the tying run at third in the seventh.
Mohon had four hits and three RBIs. Pruitt had two hits and four RBIs. Taylor Morrow had three hits, including a homer, and Brant Deerman went 3-for-3. The 8 through 3 spots in the Bulldogs lineup were a combined 13-for-23 with 10 RBIs.
“It was fun; exactly what we needed,” Piedmont coach Matt Deerman said. “Lots of AB and lots of balls put in play at us on defense. We couldn’t have scripted a practice any better going into area play.”
Piedmont 221 335 2 – 18 19 2
Mont. Catholic 106 080 1 – 16 16 3
WP: Solomon Doss. LP: Johnson.
2B: Brant Deerman 2 (P), Mason Mohon 2 (P), Jack Hayes (P), Pritchett (MC), Price (MC), Ivey (MC). 3B: Pritchett (MC). HR: Taylor Morrow (P). RBIs – Piedmont: Taylor Morrow 2, Mason Mohon 3, Nick Johnson, Brant Deerman 2, Jack Hayes, Logan Pruitt 4, Bailey Graves; Montgomery Catholic: Ivey 3, Pritchett, Price, Downes, Huffman, Hudson, Janson 3, Neal 3.
Ragland 4, Ohatchee 3: Pitcher Noah Hollingsworth won his own game when he lined a bases-loaded single to right with none out in the bottom of the seventh.
Ohatchee tied the game with three in the sixth. Ben Glass had a two-run single to get the Indians close and Blake Buckelew tied it with a two-out single. Glass had two hits and Baylee Graham went 3-for-4 for the Indians.
Coby Fuller drove home Ragland’s first three runs with a first-inning RBI double and a two-run homer in the fifth. Brilley Phillips, Hollingsworth and Fuller – the first three hitters in the Ragland order – each had two hits.
Hollingsworth gave up nine hits, one earned run and struck out seven on the mound.
Ohatchee 000 003 0 – 3 9 1
Ragland 100 020 1 – 4 9 2
WP: Noah Hollingsworth. LP: Blake Buckelew.
2B: Taylor Seawright (R), Coby Fuller (R), Noah Hollingsworth (R).
HR: Coby Fuller (R). RBIs – Ohatchee: Ben Glass 2, Blake Buckelew; Ragland: Noah Hollingsworth, Coby Fuller 3.
SOFTBALL
OXFORD – Pleasant Valley went 1-3 in the Oxford Spring Sting Tournament. The Lady Raiders beat Jasper (4-1), and lost to Vestavia Hills (5-4), Chelsea (6-5) and Daphne (4-0).
Mac Parris went 3-for-3 with two RBIs in the Chelsea game and was 2-for-2 in the win over Jasper. Cortney Williams hit a two-run homer against Vestavia Hills
Oxford on Saturday lost to Brookwood 6-2, beat Susan Moore 4-3 and shutout Pelham 2-0.
Emmali Meads gave up seven hits and struck out four in the shutout. The Lady Jackets scored both their runs in the fourth on RBI singles by Meads and Shelby Caldwell.
It was Meads’ walkoff single in the sixth that gave them the win over Susan Moore. Emma Stephens had two hits and Brentli Champion two RBIs in the game.
GOLF
BROOKS INVITATIONAL
MUSCLE SHOALS – Muscle Shoals had three scores in the 70s, led by medalist Thomas Regan’s 71, and won the Brooks Invitational at The Shoals Fighting Joe Course by eight shots over Hartselle. White Plains finished ninth.
Regan won the medalist on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff with Brooks’ Justin Olive. Nathan Griffin and Wesley Jenkins both posted 81s for White Plains. The Wildcats also counted an 84 by Colman Hayes, while Cameron McCareeth and Gage Miller both shot 86.
Team scores: Muscle Shoals A 300, Hartselle 308, Brooks 309, Northridge 313, Hewitt-Trussville 314, Guntersville 317, Homewood 319, Sparkman 331, White Plains 332, Russellville 340, Oneonta 341, Haleyville 342, Muscle Shoals B 343, Florence 360, Arab 363, Deshler 402.
Top 10 Individuals
xy-Thomas Regan, Muscle Shoals A 34-37—71
y-Justin Olive, Brooks 35-36—71
y-Sam Gargis, Muscle Shoals A 36-37—73
y-Ross Napier, Hartselle 36-37—73
yz-Rob Richards, Haleyville 37-38—75
Hunter Battles, Muscle Shoals A 37-38—75
Cameron Spehar, Hartselle 38-37—75
Matthew Madden, Northridge 37-38—75
Cole Davidson, Oneonta 39-36—75
Will Patrick, Oneonta 37-38—75
x-won playoff for medalist, y-all-tournament team, z-won scorecard playoff for all-tournament
GLENCOE INVITATIONAL
SILVER LAKES – Fort Payne’s Harrison Davis shot 3-under-par 69 to win low medalist, but Spark Park edged his team in a scorecard playoff for the team title in the Glencoe Invitational.
The two teams tied at the end of regulation at 313. Clay Central was eighth, Glencoe was 10th, White Plains was 12th and Pleasant Valley was 14th.
Davis won medalist by two shots over Spain Park’s Matt Stuart. Clay Central’s Dawson Harry shot 76 and finished tied for third.
Team scores: x-Spain Park 313, Fort Payne 313, Briarwood Christian 322, Gadsden City 326, Hokes Bluff 348, Pell City 371, Madison Academy 381, Clay Central 388, Westminster Christian 388, Glencoe 412, Lawrence County 419, White Plains 426, Sardis 430, Pleasant Valley 441. x-won on scorecard playoff
Top 10 Individuals
Harrison Davis, Fort Payne 69
Matt Stuart, Spain Park 71
Slade McCraw, Briarwood 76
Dawson Harry, Clay Central 76
Seth Perry, Gadsden City 76
Tanner Wilder, Pell City 76
Dawson Garrett, Fort Payne 76
Reed Hereford, Spain Park 77
Cole Contris, Hokes Bluff 78
Dylan Evans, Fort Payne 79
Mark Sawyer, Cedar Bluff 79
Nick Sawyer, Cedar Bluff 79
Drew Schroeder, Briarwood 79
GLENCOE GIRLS KICKOFF CLASSIC
GADSDEN – Jinger Heath shot 74 to win low medalist and lead Hartselle to the team title in the Glencoe Girls Kickoff Classic at Twin Bridges.
Hartselle shot 250 as a team and beat Westbrook Christian by 12 shots. Oak Mountain was a distant third. Host Glencoe was sixth.
Heath won medalist by two shots over Arab’s Grace Norrell. Heath’s teammate Mikayla Dubnik was third with 77.
Team scores: Hartselle 250, Westbrook Christian 262, Oak Mountain 287, Arab 288, Gadsden City 296, Glencoe 316, Hokes Bluff 351, Cedar Bluff 371, Southside 383.
Top 10 Individuals
Jinger Heath, Hartselle 74
Grace Norrell, Arab 76
Mikayla Dubnik, Hartselle 77
Ellie Porter, Westbrook Christian 79
Lauren Cole, Glencoe 82
Sarah Hartsell, Oak Mountain 85
Lauren Weaver, Westbrook Christian 87
Annamarie Thompson, Briarwood Christian 87
Ella Howard, Gadsden City 88
Reagan Malone, Arab 94
To see a gallery of photos from Saturday’s track meet at Choccolocco Park, visit www.bjfranklin.smugmug.com
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