Tourney thrillers
- Updated: March 4, 2022
Saks, White Plains score one-run wins on opening night of Calhoun County Baseball Tournament
CALHOUN COUNTY TOURNAMENT
Friday’s results
No. 12 Weaver 10, No. 13 Faith Christian 0
No. 11 JCA 18, No. 14 Anniston 0
No. 10 Saks 5, No. 7 Ohatchee 4
No. 5 White Plains 4, Weaver 3
No. 6 Piedmont 18, JCA 3
Saturday’s games
No. 8 Pleasant Valley vs. No. 9 Wellborn, 10 a.m.
No. 4 Donoho vs. White Plains, 10 a.m.
No. 2 Alexandria vs. Saks, noon
No. 3 Jacksonville vs. Piedmont, 2 p.m.
No. 1 Oxford vs. Pleasant Valley-Wellborn winner, 4 p.m.
By East Alabama Sports Today
OXFORD – One team scored in the bottom of the seventh, one team held on in the bottom of the seventh and both scored one-run victories Friday to live to play another day in the Calhoun County Tournament at Choccolocco Park.
White Plains pushed across the winning run on Miles Austin’s RBI single with one out in the bottom of the seventh to beat No. 12 Weaver 4-3. The fifth-seeded Wildcats will play No. 4 Donoho Saturday at 10 a.m.
No. 10 Saks grabbed the early lead in its game, then held off a seventh-inning rally by Ohatchee to upset the seventh-seeded Indians 5-4.
In the other games, Weaver shutout Faith Christian 10-0; No. 11 JCA routed No. 14 Anniston, 18-0; and No. 6 Piedmont eliminated JCA 18-3.
“The thing I’m proud of,” White Plains coach Dawson Taylor said, “is we didn’t play the best game, we struggled at the plate a little bit after we’d been hitting it pretty good, but my kept fighting and just found a way.
“Baseball is a weird game. It’s game where people go on runs. It doesn’t always make sense sometimes why teams hang in with teams that are way better than them, but it’s about finding a way. Our guys found a way and I’m super proud of them.”
The Wildcats came from behind twice – 1-0 and 3-2 – to tie the game Cooper Tinney’s two-out RBI double. They put the winning rally together after reliever Brandon Hahm struck out the side in order in the top of the seventh.
Wade Thompson got it started with a leadoff walk. Paul Laube sacrificed him second and then Austin lined the first pitch to left field for his walk-off single. Laube and Austin both had two hits in the game.
Tinney started on the mound for White Plains, went six innings, struck out 14 and gave up three unearned runs.
“We don’t win that game if we don’t pitch like we did,” Taylor said. “When we had to have it, we had it.”
Weaver reached the game with a 10-0 shutout of Faith Christian. Elijah Smith have up three hits and struck out 14 in five innings and Christian Marturello went 3-for-3 with three RBIs.
Saks’ win was all about overcoming adversity. The Wildcats built leads of 2-0 and 5-1, but each time some loose play in the field allowed Ohatchee a chance to get back in the game.
The top of the order got them a 2-0 lead in the first inning as Mason Jairrels knocked in two runs and the bottom of the order gave them a 5-1 lead in the fifth on Trent Hopkins’ two-run single.
Ohatchee mounted a charge in its last at-bats. The Indians had scored twice to make it 5-4 and had the tying run at second with two outs, but couldn’t get it home.
“We made some errors in the game and they kept fighting and finding a way to win,” Saks coach Wes Ginn said. “We had lost a couple in a row and this was more about the kids being able to overcome adversity.”
Two-time defending champion Piedmont opened its title defense with an 18-3 rout of JCA, which was playing its second game of the game.
The Bulldogs broke it open with a 12-run third inning. They sent 18 batters to the plate in the inning with the first 12 all reaching base safely and all scoring. Max Hanson, Jack Hayes, Sloan Smith and Trevor Pike all drove in a pair of runs in the inning.
Smith had two hits and four RBIs to lead the Bulldogs’ 17-hit attack. Hayes and Brodie Homesley both had two hits and two RBIs.
It wasn’t part of the County Tournament, but it could have had an impact on Oxford’s tournament schedule.
The Yellow Jackets lost its Perfect Game High School Showdown to Central-Phenix City, 6-0. They were held to four hits. Peyton Watts gave them three innings of no-hit relief, but by the time he entered the game they were down 5-0.
They’ll play Russellville at 8 a.m. Saturday, then hustle back to Choccolocco Park to play in their 4 p.m. County Tournament opener.
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