Golden moment
- Updated: April 19, 2025
After coming back to force Game 3, Jacksonville walks it off in the fifth inning against John Carroll Catholic to reach the second round of the playoffs.
Area first-round series results
CLASS 1A
Woodland at University Charter
Game 1: University Charter wins 5-1
Game 2: University Charter wins 7-3, advances
Coosa Christian at Hubbertvillle
Game 1: Hubbertville wins 4-3
Game 2: Coosa Christian wins 7-4
Game 3: Hubbertville wins 9-2, advances
Pickens Academmy at Spring Garden
Game 1: Pickens Academy wins 14-2
Game 2: Pickens Academy wins 12-2, advances
CLASS 2A
Central-Haneyville at Ranburne
Game 1: Ranburne wins 13-0
Game 2: Ranburne wins 11-0, advances to second-round series at Cottonwood
Lindsey Lane at Pleasant Valley
Game 1: Lindsey Lane wins 9-6
Game 2: Lindsey Lane wins 9-6, advances
CLASS 3A
Glencoe at Winfield
Game 1: Winfield wins 6-4
Game 2: Winfield wins 14-2, advances
Gordo at Piedmont
Game 1: Gordo wins 6-2
Game 2: Gordo wins 2-0, advances
J.B. Pennington at Wellborn
Game 1: J.B. Pennington wins 27-3
Game 2: J.B. Pennington wins 19-5, advances
Randolph County at Vinemont
Game 1: Randolph County 7, Vinemont 4
Game 2: Vinemont 15, Randolph County 12
Game 3: Vinemont wins 19-2, advances
CLASS 4A
Dora at Alexandria
Game 1: Alexandria wins 10–0
Game 2: Alexandria wins 12-2, advances to play at Deshler in second round
Cherokee County at Cordova
Game 1: Cordova wins 8–1
Game 2: Cordova wins 3-1, advances
Hokes Bluff at Haleyville
Game 1: Hokes Bluff wins 8-7
Game 2: Haleyville wins 8-4
Game 3: Haleyville wins 8-2, advances
Handley at Trinity Presbyterian
Game 1: Trinity Presbyterian wins 14-4
Game 2: Trinity Presbyterian wins 6-2, advances
Tallassee at Munford
Game 1: Tallassee wins 6-5
Game 2: Tallassee wins 7-6, advances
CLASS 5A
John Carroll Catholic at Jacksonville
Game 1: John Carroll wins 6-1
Game 2: Jacksonville wins 4-3
Game 3: Jacksonville wins 11-1, advances to face Boaz-Scottsboro winner on the road.
CLASS 6A
Southside at Hartselle
Game 1: Hartselle wins 3-1
Game 2: Hartselle wins 11-1, advances
Oxford at Mountain Brook
Game 1: Mountain Brook wins 10-7
Game 2: Mountain Brook wins 12-6, advances
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
JACKSONVILLE — It’s been a season of all the things for Jacksonville’s baseball team, and outgoing head coach Jamison Edwards experienced most of them Friday and Saturday.
He watched his game come back in Friday’s Game 2 of a first-round Class 5A playoff series against John Carroll Catholic to force Game 3.
He watched his team finish off Game 3 11-1 in five innings to reach the second round for the first time since 2022, and in Jacksonville’s first season after moving up from Class 4A, no less. The Golden Eagles (18-17) will play a best-of-3 series Scottsboro next week.
From ejection on a Friday that saw Jacksonville experience what he called “terrible luck” to jubilation after a mercy-rule walk off Saturday, “Coach Ed” lived so many things.
From his hiring to follow former Jacksonville football coach Clint Smith to White Plains after this school year to now, he’s experienced nearly all of the things.
After experiencing Jacksonville’s fourth consecutive area title on his watch, then victory in what could be his final home playoff series before he changes from Navy to royal blue, Edwards experienced … dust.
He coughed it out as wind-blown dirt wafted by his postgame interview spot. Then he cleared his throat.
“I’m extremely proud of them,” he said. “They did exactly what they needed to do to earn a spot in the second round. We’re looking forward to getting to play one more week.”
Jacksonville scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning of Game 2 and won 4-3, living to play Saturday.
Saturday’s Game 3 turned out to be that game that Jacksonville would play when healthy and playing its best baseball, and the Golden Eagles became the second of two AHSAA teams from Calhoun County to survive the first round.
After toiling with eventual Class 4A state champion Etowah in 2023’s first round and 2024 quarterfinalist North Jackson, Jacksonville will play on in 2025.
“We have had the misfortune over the last couple of years of facing some really good (area) runner ups,” Edwards said. “The last two years, the guys that put us out in the first round were runner ups in their area, but they wound up in the quarterfinals. Ultimately, they were one of the best eight teams in the whole state.
“I knew, coming into this series, that we were very even, just an evenly matched series.”
Sam Parker-Wagoner went 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs. Jackson Bonner went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and Lemon went 2-for-3 with four runs, an RBI and two stolen bases.
Jackson Askew limited John Carroll to four hits with one walk and four strikeouts, and the Golden Eagles played error-free ball behind him.
Most importantly, Edwards said, ducks on the pond found dry land.
“In the two games last night, we left 18 people on base,” he said. “We had no two-out hits that led to RBIs.
“What we challenged them today was, get in the box and, if there’s a guy on base, think about what do I need to do right here to help get this guy in. If we can from leaving guys on base, we’ll have a chance, and I thought they did a great job of their approach at the plate. Probably, defensively, that was as clean of a game as we’ve played all year.”
It all culminated in Jacksonville coming to bat in the bottom of the fifth inning, needing one run to end it. The Golden Eagles got it with help from an error, two hit batsmen and a wild pitch.
Lemon scored then turned to meet the rush from the home dugout. He and Maquire Mallett jumped and chest bumped.
“I felt so much relief, and I felt happy,” Lemon said. “We just walked it off, and we’re going to the second round, and we were just having fun, having great memories with it all.”
As for all the things that have backdropped Jacksonville’s season, Jacksonville’s finish to the season brings balance.
“We’ve faced a lot of adversity this year, with the coaching changes that we’ve known of and starting off the year pretty bad,” Wagoner said, “but I think it’s a great achievement for us.”
The Golden Eagles hope to extend the last ride with Coach Ed as long as possible.
“We want to help him have a great memory of this team, once all of us leave,” Lemon said. “We don’t want to have anything left back that we regret not doing.”
Photo gallery by Joe Medley
Game updates
–T1: Nothing for JCC
–B1: Jacksonville gets three runs and leads 3-0. Sam Parker Wagoner’s two-run single key hit.
–T2: Nothing for JCC
–B2: Xaye Lemon’s RBI single puts Jax up 4-0. … Jackson Bonner beats out an infield single to scored Lemon from 3B and make it 5-0.
–T3: Nothing for JCC.
–B3: Wagoner beats out an infield single and plates another run, and Jax leads 6-0.
–T4: Barnes with an RBI single to get JCC on the board, Jax leads 6-1.
–B4: Bonner reaches on an error to scores, and Lemon, who reached on a single, and Ducar, who reached on an FC, to make it 8-1. … Wagoner’s sac fly scores another run to make it 9-1. … Add a run on a wild pitch, 10-1.
–T5: JCC goes down in order.
–B5: Jax loads the bases without a hit, scores on a wild pitch and wins 11-1.
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