Cutting it close
- Updated: March 24, 2022
Munford takes lead in county championship game on Stephens’ go-ahead double on 3-2 pitch with two outs in seventh; includes other games from around the area
THURSDAY BASEBALL GAMES
Appalachian 13, JCA 1
Piedmont 10, Prattville Christian 0
Springville 7-1, Oxford 4-4
Smoky Bear Invitational
Seymour (Tenn.) 4, Ohatchee 2
Talladega County Tournament
Championship game
Munford 3, Sylacauga 1
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
SYLACAUGA – Munford’s chances of winning the county tournament were literally down to the last strike when Tyler Stephens struck.
Stephens ripped a go-ahead two-run double on a 3-2 pitch with two outs in the top of the seventh to highlight a three-run rally that brought the Lions a 3-1 victory over Sylacauga and their first Talladega County big school championship since 2018.
Talk about cutting it close.
“I was here the last time they won,” Munford coach Derek Stephens said. “Chandler Tyree (now at White Plains) was the coach; he texted me a little while ago telling me congratulations. It was really cool.
“We put a lot of emphasis on this. It’s one of our goals at the start of the season: Win county, win area, host a first-round game. We can check that (first) one off. It feels really good.”
Brandon Morgan kept Munford off the board for six innings, but the sophomore reached his pitch limit and couldn’t continue. The Lions (7-4) rallied off Logan Corbitt.
Their first two batters reached base against the new pitcher, but the Aggies almost got out of it. They got two outs, but Tyler Stephens worked the count to 3-2 and with the runners going hit his double to bring them home.
The Munford bench erupted in celebration as if they had just won, prompting a warning to Derek Stephens for leaving the dugout. Connor Morgan singled home an insurance run once order was restored.
“I loved seeing how happy our guys were because they worked their tails off,” Derek Stephens said. “We started the year without two starters. We had to mentally prepare ourselves to get better and knew it wasn’t going to be an instant thing. They all stayed positive.”
Sylacauga scratched a run off Munford starter Riley Brown in the first inning on Brodie Hammonds’ RBI double and carried that lead all the way to the seventh. Brown then shut down the Aggies in the home seventh to wrap up a complete-game four-hitter with 13 strikeouts.
“When you’re playing in a championship game like that there are people everywhere and every pitch has the potential to change the game,” Derek Stephens said. “To see our guys play well in a very pressure-packed situation – we’re down, with the lights on, everybody’s there and it’s for a championship – I think that’s going to help us to improve at a faster rate.”
Mason Brewer had two hits for the Lions.
Munford 000 000 3 – 3 6 0
Sylacauga 100 000 0 – 1 4 1
WP: Riley Brown. LP: Logan Corbitt. 2B: Tyler Stephens (M), Brodie Hammonds (S).
Oxford 4-4, Springville 7-1: Peyton Watts threw a four-hit complete game in the nightcap and singled home the first run of the game as the Yellow Jackets won the Game 3 tiebreaker after Springville earned a series split in the first game of the doubleheader.
Watts struck out nine and walked four. The only run he allowed came in the sixth inning after the Jackets built a 4-0 lead.
Watts and Carter Johnson drove in runs in the first inning. Johnson and R.J. Brooks chased home runs in the third.
The Tigers erased a 3-1 Oxford lead with a six-run fourth inning to take control of the opener.
The Tigers produced their six runs in the fourth on six consecutive at-bats (five singles and a fielder’s choice). After the big inning, Oxford starter Hayes Harrison gave up only one hit and two base-runners over the final 3 1/3 innings.
Oxford made it 7-4 in the fifth on Harrison’s RBI double and loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth, but Ethan Davis wriggled out of the jam with an inning-ending strikeout.
The Yellow Jackets took a 3-0 lead after two innings. Johnson had a sacrifice fly in the first. Forrest Heacock had an RBI single and Miguel Mitchell an RBI triple in the second.
It was the Jackets’ first loss during the Choccolocco Park Spring Break Experience.
Springville 001 600 0 – 7 9 0
Oxford 120 010 0 – 4 10 1
WP: Brady Gillespie. LP: Hayes Harrison. 2B: Jacob Neal (S), Chance Griner (O), Hayes Harrison 2 (O), Peyton Watts (O). 3B: Miguel Mitchell (O).
Springville 000 010 0 – 1 4 3
Oxford 202 000 x – 4 5 0
WP: Peyton Watts. LP: Ethan Davis. 2B: Jordan Nichols (S), Hayes Harrison (O). 3B: Sam Robertson (O).
Seymour (Tenn.) 4, Ohatchee 2: The Indians’ trip to the Smoky Bear Invitational couldn’t have gotten off to a better start with Bryce Noah hitting a two-run double in the top of the first, but they couldn’t hold the lead.
The Eagles scored two in the third, then broke the tie with two in the sixth. Ohatchee threatened in the seventh, getting its first two batters on, but the inning ended with a double play and a foul pop.
Noah pitched a complete game for the Indians. He gave up eight hits, two earned runs and struck out four. Tyler Green had two hits for Ohatchee.
Ohatchee 200 000 0 – 2 6 1
Seymour 002 002 x – 4 8 2
WP: Drew Childress. LP: Bryce Noah. 2B: Bryce Noah (O), A.J. Berry (S), Coby Johnson (S), Josh West (S), Parker Seal (S).
Appalachian 13, JCA 1: The Eagles scored eight runs in the first inning, then held the Thunder to five hits in the five-inning victory.
The Eagles sent 12 batters to the plate in the first. Nine of their first 11 batters reached, and they scored runs on two of the at-bats in which the Thunder got an out.
Cam Moses went 2-for-2 for JCA and drove in its run with a double in the first. He pitched the final three innings for the Thunder and gave up no runs on one hits with eight strikeouts.
Appalachian 814 00 – 13 11 1
J’ville Christian 100 00 – 1 5 1
WP: Connor Green. LP: Ethan Fair. 2B: Bryson Seawright (A), Logan Harvey (A), Chase Payne (A), Cam Moses (J).
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