Survival mode
- Updated: March 15, 2021
Jacksonville survives threats from White Plains, weather to win its area opener
Monday’s baseball scores
Faith Christian 8, Jacksonville Christian 5
Cleburne County 15, Horseshoe Bend 10
Jacksonville 10, White Plains 9
By East Alabama Sports Today
If the rest of the Class 4A Area 9 baseball season is going to be anything like Monday’s opener between Jacksonville and White Plains – and those who played say it will be – be prepared for a wild ride.
Jacksonville beat the Wildcats 10-9 in a game it led, trailed, tied, led, trailed, led again, almost had that lead erased by rule and weather, and then turned back threats in the rain in each of the last two innings after play resumed.
“We’re happy any time we can get an area win because our goal is we want to make the playoffs,” Jacksonville coach Jamison Edwards said. “These are the games we have to win in order to accomplish that goal.
“It’s wasn’t the prettiest thing, but that seems to be our M.O. We’re not going to play the prettiest ball, we just try to be effective.”
The teams agreed to move the game up a day to avoid the predicted inclement weather that was due in the area Tuesday. The series is scheduled to conclude at Jacksonville Thursday.
After trailing 4-2 in the first inning and 8-7 in the fifth, the Golden Eagles took a 10-8 lead in the sixth on Coleman Oliver’s two-run single just as a big clap of thunder rumbled in the sky and and RBI double by Drew Pridgen.
They were in danger of having that lead and win wiped out when play was suspended for a lightning delay in the home sixth with a runner at third and the tying run at the plate.
If the teams didn’t return to the field, the game would have reverted to the last completed inning – the fifth – and White Plains would have been awarded an 8-7 win.
“I hoped if we had the opportunity to play again I hoped to see a group of guys that were going to respond to that opportunity who worked themselves back in a position to win a ballgame, and if we had not (returned), then it was going to be a tough pill to swallow,” Edwards said. “I’m glad we got to finish it on the field – win, lose or draw – just because you hate something to end – an area contest especially – under some kind of (uncertainty).”
The teams waited out the delay and Grant Patterson went back to the mound for Jacksonville when the teams returned. Miles Austin reached on an infield error that brought home the run to make it 10-9 and when Carson Wright was hit for the third time it chased Patterson after four pitches back. Christian Royster come over from first base and got out of the jam with two infield outs.
“Christian is a senior, he’s pitched in games like this before,” Edwards said. “Grant handled the layoff fantastic and he prepared for it, but he looked like he was having a little trouble getting back in the groove and we were not in a position where we could wait for him to find it again, so we felt like we needed to make a change to give ourselves a chance.”
White Plains mounted a threat in the seventh, putting its first two runners on, but Royster got a pop out on a failed bunt and then the lead runner on a fielder’s choice for the second out. An infield error loaded the bases, but a grounder to short ended the game.
“I have 100 percent trust in my infield and outfield and I knew they were going to make the plays behind me,” Royster said.
The Wildcats also loaded the bases with none out in the third inning of a 4-4 game but failed to score. Dreylan Fomby gunned down a runner at the plate after catching Carson Tyree’s fly ball for an inning-ending double play. They left eight runners in scoring position in the game.
“Eventually we’re going to win a close one,” White Plains coach Chandler Tyree said. “I thought our kids battled. We gave ourselves a chance to win in the last inning and just couldn’t find a way to push them across. I thought we had some timely hits and then there were chances where we could’ve scored some more runs and left some out there.”
In the next inning, Tito Canales hit a three-run homer that went out just inside the left-field foul pole to give Jacksonville a 7-4 lead. Canales had three hits and five RBIs, and was the catcher who put on the tag in the double play with Fomby.
Jacksonville (3-9) 202 303 0 – 10 12 5
White Plains (3-7) 400 221 0 – 9 12 2
WP: Grant Patterson. LP: Duke Barnett. 2B: Tito Canales (J), Drew Pridgen (J), Miles Austin (W), Tyler Daniel (W), Carson Tyree (W). HR: Tito Canales (J).
Faith Christian 8, JCA 5: The Lions erupted for five runs in the fifth inning to open a 7-1 run lead and then held on for a Class 1A Area 9 victory. Colton Pahman hit a two-run single in the big inning and two more scored on Kash Sharma’s infield groundout.
Brodie Dodson pitched into the fifth inning and struck out 10 to get the win. He also had a double and triple at the plate. Brodie Clay went 2-for-3 with a three-run double in the sixth for JCA.
Faith 101 050 1 – 8 7 0
JCA 001 003 1 – 5 5 3
WP: Brodie Dodson. LP: Ethan Fair. 2B: Brodie Dodson (F), Brodie Clay (J). 3B: Colton Pahman (F), Brodie Dodson (F), Jack Harrelson (J), Ethan Burrage (J).
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