Playoff picture
- Updated: April 12, 2019
Thursday baseball: Donoho is in, Ohatchee grabs a No. 2 spot and White Plains denied; includes scores, highlights and more
Thursday’s scores
Alexandria 4-12, Munford 1-9
Cherokee County 3, Hokes Bluff 0
Donoho 17, Winterboro 3
JCA 10, Faith Christian 0
Piedmont 9-10, Wellborn 1-3
Saks 6-7, Weaver 5-6
Sylacauga 13, Clay Central 2
Victory Christian 15, Ragland 14
Westbrook Christian 8-7, Ohatchee 4-4
Friday’s games
Benjamin Russell at Munford
Jacksonville at Pleasant Valley
Pell City at Oxford
Randolph County at Cleburne County
By East Alabama Sports Today
Donoho clinched a spot in the Class 1A playoffs by routing non-area opponent Winterboro 17-3 on Senior Day and letting Spring Garden help it by sweeping Coosa Christian.
The Falcons needed a sweep from Spring Garden and got it in the form of a pair of run-rule shutouts. They’ll open the playoffs on the road at Marion County.
It’ll be their fifth straight playoff appearance. They’ve never missed under coach Steve Gendron.
“I’m proud of our guys,” Gendron said. “We are looking forward to making a run.”
Hall Billings led Donoho’s charge with four RBIs. Billings and Jase Alderman both had two hits including a homer. Seth Ford, John Noone and Grayson Marlowe all drove in a pair of runs.
Donoho jumped out from the beginning 3-0 with three in the first that all scored on bases-loaded hit batsmen. On the home runs, Alderman hit his in the second to make it 5-0. Billings’ was a three-run shot that kick-started the Falcons’ 10-run fourth.
Here are the first-round playoff pairings of local interest:
Donoho at Marion County
Weaver at Winfield
Hartselle at Oxford
Ohatchee at Sumiton Christian
Lamar County at Piedmont
Munford at Briarwood Christian
Cleburne County at Hokes Bluff
Cherokee County at Lincoln
Fayetteville At Ranburne
Ragland will be playing Victory Christian Friday for its area championship Friday. The winner hosts Appalachian and the loser travels to Heritage Christian.
Saks 6-7, Weaver 5-6: The Wildcats scored a pair of one-run victories to feel good about themselves, but Weaver already locked up the area’s No. 2 team by winning the series opener. Curiously, Saks won two area series this season and is not going to the playoffs.
Jaylen Childs’ two-run homer in the seventh snapped a 4-4 tie in the 6-5 game and gave Saks the lead, then the Wildcats survived a threat in the bottom of the inning.
Piedmont 9-10, Wellborn 1-3:The Bulldogs completed their area schedule with a doubleheader sweep. In the opener, Brant Deerman went 3-for-4 while Jack Hayes and Cassius Fairs combined to hold the Panthers to just Bailey Neely’s solo homer in the fifth inning. In the nightcap, Sean Smith went 2-for-4 with four RBIs and a homer. The Bulldogs used four pitchers this game who combined for 13 strikeouts and held Wellborn to five hits
Alexandria 4-12, Munford 1-9: Jalen Borders pitched six innings of no-hit ball with 10 strikeouts and Noah Primm’s two-run double highlighted a three-run fourth that earned the Valley Cubs their 4-1 victory. The Cubs rallied from a 9-7 deficit with five runs in the sixth inning of the other game; Jacob McCulley had three RBIs and Cade Shaddix had two hits and two RBIs..
Westbrook 8-7, Ohatchee 4-4: The Warriors swept the doubleheader to clinch the area championship and relegate the Indians to the league’s No. 2 playoff spot. Joseph Gilchrist’s two-run double snapped a 4-4 tie and put Westbrook ahead for good in the 8-4 game. The Indians answered a fourth-run Westbrook third with four of their own in the bottom of the inning to retie the game. In the other game Westbrook wiped out a 4-0 Ohatchee lead by scoring all of its runs in the final three innings.
Jacksonville 8-3, White Plains 5-3: The Golden Eagles broke a 4-4 tie with four runs in the seventh inning to earn a split of the series and dash White Plains’ hopes of making the Class 4A playoffs. The Wildcats won the series opener and needed to sweep, but it all became moot when Cherokee County shut out Hokes Bluff to split its series.
Brandon Charping’s two-run double gave Jacksonville a 6-4 lead. Taye Loud followed with an RBI single. The other two runs scored on Taye Loud’s ball to the outfield. Loud and Charping combined to go 4-for-6 with five RBIs in the game.
The Wildcats managed a split of the doubleheader on Tyler Daniels’ walk-off single with none out in the eighth. Coleman Messer’s RBI single tied the game for White Plains in the sixth.
Cherokee County 3, Hokes Bluff 0: Ethan Johnson pitched a complete-game six-hit shutout and struck out five to give the Warriors a series split and clinch a spot in the Class 4A playoffs. Johnson, Caden Hubbard and Tristan Whitefield had two hits apiece for Cherokee County, which only needed a split to eliminate White Plains from playoff contention.
JCA 10, Faith Christian 0: Winning pitcher Brady Shaddix and Jeremy Cockrell (four RBIs) both went 3-for-3 and Shaddix and Cam Moses combined on a three-hit shutout. Tyler Doggrell had two for the Thunder. Shaddix started and gave up two hits, walked none and struck out two. Moses gave up the other hit, walked one and struck out four.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login