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- Updated: March 20, 2021
Jacksonville’s Oliver has been on a tear after making an adjustment at the plate
SATURDAY’S BASEBALL SCORES
Alexandria 3-13, Sardis 1-2
Childersburg 14, Weaver 7
Glencoe 9-8, Pleasant Valley 7-1
Jacksonville 13, Cleburne County 7
Piedmont 13, Mars Hill 12
Piedmont 8, Central-Florence 5, 9 inns.
Spring Garden 3, Westbrook Christian 2
Choccolocco Park Spring Experience
American Christian 14, Ohatchee 0
American Christian 5, Oxford 3, 8 inns.
Oxford 13, Minor 2
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
HEFLIN – Coleman Oliver was coming off a hitless game against Spring Garden last week and went to his coaches looking for answers. It was only the second oh-for he had taken this season, but something about his approach had been bothering him for a while.
He went looking for some direction. It was a simple fix, really, just a matter of timing, and since that consultation he’s been ripping the cover off the baseball.
Oliver capped a big week at the plate Saturday, collecting three hits, including his first varsity home run, and drove in four runs to lead Jacksonville to its fourth straight victory, 13-7 over Cleburne County.
“I knew there was something I had to fix because this is not what I’m here to do,” Oliver said. “I’m in the 4-hole and there to do a job. I have a great lineup in front and behind me and I felt they were doing their part and I wanted to do what I could.
“Right before the Ohatchee game I started to think my biggest problem was (not) sitting back and staying through it. Then I went up to all my coaches and asked them each what was wrong with my swing and they all said I was in front of the ball. Without them I don’t know I could do it. I had a strong suspicion that’s what was wrong, but I wanted clarification and they helped tremendously in that regard.”
You can’t argue with the results. In the five games over the next eight days, Oliver has gone 11-of-19 with 14 RBIs. In the Golden Eagles’ four wins this week, he’s gone 7-for-14 with 11 RBIs.
He was 3-for-5 against the Tigers with a two-run homer in the first that gave him a 2-0 lead to protect on the mound. He also had a two-run single in the seventh to make it 12-3. The big week lifted his average to .500 on the season (24-of-48) with 20 RBIs.
It didn’t surprise Golden Eagles coach Jamison Edwards one bit that his cleanup hitter went looking for answers when his approach just didn’t feel right.
“I use the phrase a lot of times that Coleman is the program, and what I mean by that is Coleman embodies everything that we try to get out of our guys,” Edwards said. “He’s the first one there. He’s one of the last ones to leave. Every single thing he does is with the intent of getting better.
“He has struggled a little bit at the beginning of the year, not performed as well as what he has wanted. That’s not to say he’s had a bad start, a lot of guys would love to have the start he has, but the expectations he holds himself to, he hasn’t hit the ball as well as he’d like in terms of barreling it up.
“We said you’ve got great hands, you’ve just got to trust them. Let the ball travel to where you can hit it hard and you’ve got to trust that your hands are good enough. We went through the same thing last year. He really worked on that in all his BP reps and he finally got his timing down.”
Oliver was one of five Golden Eagles with multiple hits in the game. Jae-Taj Morris, Christian Royster, Carmelo Canales, Nick Salmon and Jacoby Zackery all had two. Morris drove in three runs and Zachery had two RBIs.
Piedmont 13, Mars Hill 12: Jakari Foster singled home Jadon Calhoun with two outs to break a 12-12 tie and cap a five-run seventh-inning rally. Austin Estes got the side in order in the bottom of the inning to preserve the win.
McClane Mohon got the winning rally started with a leadoff homer. Before Foster’s go-ahead hit, Estes and Sean Smith had RBI doubles and Calhoun singled home a run. Foster went 3-for-4 in the game. Calhoun had two hits and four RBIs.
Piedmont 8, Central-Florence 5: Noah Reedy belted a three-run homer in the top of the ninth to break a 5-5 tie. The Bulldogs tied the game with three in the seventh, highlighted by Jack Hayes’ game-tying two-out, two-run double.
Alexandria 3-13, Sardis 1-2: Wesley Wright scattered five hits and struck out 12 in the opener and three pitchers gave up six hits in the nightcap.
Ian Cartwright had two hits and singled home two runs in the first in the opener and Zachary Baskins and Aaron Johnson had two hits apiece. Johnson and Evan Snow both had three hits in the nightcap.
American Christian 5, Oxford 3: ACA won the battle of No. 3 teams in the latest PBR-Alabama statewide poll when it pushed across two in the top of the eighth on Carter Lockridge’s bases-loaded single and Chad Fendley’s two-out bases-loaded walk. The Patriots, No. 3 in Class 4A, took a 3-2 lead in the sixth, but the Yellow Jackets, No. 3 in 6A, tied it in the bottom of the inning on Gavin Orcutt’s two-out RBI single.
The Patriots started their day by beating Ohatchee 14-0 in five innings, holding the Indians to one hit – Konnor Baswell’s third-inning single – and five baserunners.
Oxford 13, Minor 2:Hayes Harrison’s two-run single in the first gave the Yellow Jackets the lead and they never looked back. Trey Higgins went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.
Glencoe 9-8, Pleasant Valley 7-1: The Yellow Jackets held off a seventh-inning rally in the opener and two pitchers – Luke Simmons and Brady Kitchens – held the Raiders to one hit in the nightcap to sweep the area doubleheader and the series.
The only hit PV mustered in the nightcap was Jackson Almaroad’s one-out single in the fourth off Simmons. The Raiders scored their only run of the game later in the inning when Jack Ponder walked with the bases loaded. Grayson Kellett drove in four runs for Glencoe in the game.
In the opener, the Raiders scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh to get within 9-7 and had the tying run at the plate with two outs, but Austin Cochran struck out the only batter he faced on five pitches to end the game. Ponder and Braydon Maye both drove in a pair of runs for PV. Kellett went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Yellow Jackets. PV starter Pelham Parris struck out 12 in 5 2/3 innings.
Childersburg 14, Weaver 7: The Tigers jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the second inning, then broke a 7-7 tie with four in the fourth and never looked back.
Jordon Fomby’s three-run homer highlighted Childersburg’s six-run first inning. The Bearcats tied it with a five-run fourth, but the Tigers answered with four in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead for good.
Devin Anderson’s two-run double and Jackson Williams’ two-run double highlighted Weaver’s half of the inning. Childersburg’s first two runs in the bottom of the inning scored on errors and Payton Tanner’s two-run single extended the lead.
Anderson went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and Williams was 3-for-5 with two RBIs for Weaver.
Spring Garden 3, Westbrook Christian 2: Jackson Maddox’ two-out single to left in the bottom of the seventh gave the Panthers a walk-off win. Luke Welsh opened the inning with a double to left, was sacrificed to third by Andrew Bates and rode home on Maddox’ hit. Westbrook pitcher Will Noles gave up only four hits and struck out 14. Spring Garden starter Weston Kirk struck out 11 in six innings. Landon Gowens struck out the side in order in the top of the seventh to get the win.
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