Great start
- Updated: February 15, 2020
Folsom hits first pitch he sees in 2 years for a home run, homers twice in Faith’s season-opening victory
By East Alabama Sports Today
ANNISTON – You think Andrew Folsom was ready for baseball season to start?
Folsom sat out last season after transferring to Faith Christian from Ranburne and all he does on the first pitch he sees in two years Saturday is send it deep out of the park for the first of his two home runs in the Lions’ 13-1 season-opening win over Gaylesville.
“He’d been so hungry to play,” Lions coach Jason Pahman said. “The first pitch he saw he took over left field. I’ll tell you it was close to 375, 400 feet. He’s hit one in practice farther than that. His second at-bat he saw a pitch pretty close to his wheelhouse and cranked it over the center field fence.”
The junior catcher was 2-for-2 with a walk, three RBIs and three runs scored.
“I was very excited for this day to come,” Folsom said. “I waited all last year supporting the team with their games, watching all of them. Now that year has passed, I get to have my season as a Lion and it felt amazing because I love my teammates and coaches; they are all amazing people and great supporters.
“It felt amazing to hit the first ball I saw in two years be a homer. It did surprise me to hit the ball over not only in the first game, but the first pitch. It was a perfect pitch right down the middle, so I just did what practice has taught me and put the ball into play and let everything else take place. Hitting two was really awesome. I didn’t think I could do it back-to-back.”
The win was Pahman’s first as a head coach and came over a team that had outscored the Lions 97-20 over the last four years. It’s also their first season-opening win since before 2014 when the AHSAA started posting on-line records.
“I call it a jumper-cables win – a win that will hopefully jump start these guys and this program to a different level,” Pahman said. “That team had beaten us 97-20 over the last four years and we set out this season with a motto of ‘no more.’
“Now, that means a lot of different things to us, but these guys are believing in themselves and having the confidence to step out on that field and believe they can win. I’ve been part of a lot of wins coaching in my time, but this one right here ranks up there as one of the most rewarding I’ve ever had. To see these guys believe and execute and be excited after the final pitch was made was rewarding like you wouldn’t believe.”
Stone Huie and Brodie Dodson both went 3-for-3. Huie pitched 3 2/3 innings in the five-inning game allowing four hits and a run and striking out six.
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