Class 6A Championship Series

Game 3: Oxford 12, Fairhope 7

     Oxford rebounded from a heartbreaking 5-3 loss in game two with six runs in the top of the sixth inning of game three to win the Class 6A state baseball championship with a 12-7 decision over Fairhope Saturday night at Riverwalk Stadium.      Oxford trailed 6-3 heading into the sixth when the Jackets (39-13) exploded for six runs to take a 9-6 lead. Mike Goodson delivered an RB I single to tie the game and Series MVP Tucker Simpson drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the go-ahead run.       Reliever Frazier Taylor (3-0) hurled the final three innings to get the win. He allowed only one hit, an unearned run and struck out four to keep what had been the red-hot Pirate hitters at bay. Corey Childress (3-2) took the loss.       Jackson Stephens slugged a towering solo homer in the first inning and finished with two hits and three RBIs for Oxford. Goodson had two hits and Will Davis a two-run double in the third inning, another RBI in the sixth and finished with three RBIs.       Joe McGuire also had a single and two RBIs for Coach Wes Brooks’ Jackets.       Fairhope (38-7) was led by shortstop Toby Thomas, who had a double and single and two RBIs. Beecher Faust also had two hits for Coach Stu Fuller’s Pirates.
Game 2: Fairhope 5, Oxford 3      Fairhope scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning Saturday afternoon to nip Oxford 5-3 in the second game to tie the Class 6A state baseball championship series at Riverwalk Stadium.     The two teams were scheduled to start deciding game three at 6:45 p.m. Saturday.      Hits were few for the Pirates (36-6), who were still looking for their first hit off Oxford starter Jackson Stephens heading into the sixth inning. Hunter Ellenburg broke up the no-hitter with a single to start the top of the sixth and scored on Jerrod Hathcock’s single.      Oxford (38-13), which scored all three of its runs in the first inning on only one hit off Pirates hurler Ethan Hunt (12-0), still led 3-1 going into the final inning.      Brock Gilheart started the rally by reaching first on an error. Beecher Faust was hit by a pitch and Taylor Gradle singled to left to load the bases. The Yellow Jackets then replaced Stephens (14-1), who allowed only three hits, walked two and struck nine in his six innings of work.
     Frazier Taylor struck out the first two batters he faced but yielded a two-run single to Toby Thomas to tie the game. Pinch-runner Cole Henselor scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and Thomas scored an important insurance run on Chase Domino’s single.      Hunt then retired the side in the bottom of the inning to seal the win and finished with a five-hitter and seven strikeouts.     Fairhope had gone 12 innings in the championship series without a run until the single run in the sixth.

Game 1: Oxford 2, Fairhope 0

     Oxford senior pitcher Tucker Simpson took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and finished with a one-hit, 2-0 shutout as the Yellow Jackets won game one of the AHSAA Class 6A state baseball championship series Friday night at Paterson Field.      Simpson (9-3) struck out 12, walked none and came within just one batter of pitching his second perfect game of the state playoffs. Center fielder Chase Domino broke up the gem with a single to lead off the fifth. After Simpson struck out Justin Hathcock for the second out, Domino stole second but was stranded there when Brock Gilheart grounded out to second for the third out.      No other Pirate reached base.      The two teams continue the 6A series Saturday at 4 p.m. at Riverwalk Stadium. A third game, if needed, will follow 30 minutes after completion of game two.      Oxford (38-12) scored the only run it would need in the fourth inning when Will Davis doubled to right off Fairhope starter Toby Thomas (11-1) to plate pinch-runner Jared Waits. The Jackets got their second run an inning later when Trent Simpson homered to left to lead off the inning. Thomas also had an impressive outing, allowing only five hits, striking out 12 and walking just one.

Class 5A Championship Series Game 2: Spanish Fort 6, Southside-Gadsden 1

     Spanish Fort High School's baseball team posted the Toros’ 200^th win Friday in the first game of the AHSAA Class 5A state baseball championship series. Saturday, win No. 201 clinched the school’s third straight state title.      Pitcher Jesse McCord (12-1) hurled a three-hitter and struck out four as Spanish Fort downed Southside-Gadsden 6-1 at Riverwalk Stadium to sweep the Panthers and claim the crown. McCord got all the run support he needed when third baseman Will Luft slammed a bases-loaded triple in the bottom of the fourth inning to give Coach Tommy Walker’s Toros (37-8) a 5-2 lead. Luft also drove in  run with a single in the second inning.        Blaine Crain, who had two hits and two RBIs in game one while fielding 12 putouts at first base, had a single and walk to score one run and earned the 5A series MVP award. Tate Godwin had a double, two runs scored and an RBI and Heath Brown, who pitched the game one shutout, had a single and run scored.        Spanish Fort lost three games in a row to start the season and then reeled off 37 wins in its last 42 games en route to the three-peat.        Southside (27-17), coached by Blake Bone, got its only run of the series in the third inning when first baseman Caleb Butler drilled an inside fastball over the left-field wall for a solo home run to cut the Toros lead to 2-1. Butler finished with two hits and Braxton Light got the other hit off McCord.        Southside pitcher Andrew Fuhrman (8-4) pitched four innings and got the loss. Jesse Fry pitched the final two innings, allowing two hits and no runs.

Game 1: Spanish Fort 9, Southside-Gadsden 0      Two-time defending Class 5A state baseball champion Spanish Fort blanked Southside-Gadsden Friday night 9-0 at Paterson Field to move one win away from a third title.      The Toros (35-8) can clinch the crown Saturday when the series resumes at Riverwalk Stadium for game two in the best-of-three format.      Heith Brown (8-2) was masterful for Spanish Fort, scattering four hits, walking three and striking out three in his complete-game effort. The Toros got him all the runs he would need in the top of the second when Joel Poe walked, Blaine Crain was hit by a pitch, Tate Godwin sacrificed the runners to second and third and Matt Hall grounded out to plate Poe.      Catcher Shane English, who had three hits and two RBIs, and Crain each singled in a run in the third inning as Spanish Fort built a 4-0 lead off Southside starter and losing pitcher Alex Pondick (8-3). The Toros added one in the fifth, two in the sixth and seventh to close out the scoring.      Crain finished with two hits and lead-off hitter Andrew Ferrell scored three runs for Spanish Fort. Braxton Light, Blake Devine, Drew Mullinax and Conner Paulson each had a single for the Panthers (27-16).

Game 2: Shoals Christian 14, St. Luke's 4 (6 innings)         Two-time defending state champion Shoals Christian slugged 16 hits in game two to keep their hopes of a third state title alive.         The Flame (31-22) won 14-4 over St. Luke’s (25-14) to force a third game immediately following the six-inning win.         Aaron Bowman collected three hits and drove in five runs to pace Shoals Christian. His three-run homer in the top of the fifth inning was the big blow.         Will Bishop also had three hits and Cooper Melvin and Charlie Kelley had two each. Kelley also had two RBIs. Devan Traglia and Cory McLeary, who had a double, also drove in two runs. Traglia (12-3) was the winning pitcher, yielding six hits and striking out three in five innings.         Chris Enger had two hits and two RBIs, and Murphy Mostellar had two hits for St. Luke’s.

Game 1: St. Luke’s 3, Shoals Christian 2        Dalton Becker’s sacrifice fly to right plated Dan Haskell in the top of the seventh inning Thursday to drive in the winning run as St. Luke's downed two-time defending Class 1A state champion Shoals Christian 3-2 in the first game of the AHSAA Class 1A state basketball championship series.         With the score tied 2-2, Haskell, the Wildcats' ninth batter, drilled a one-out double down the left-field line to start the final rally. Lead-off hitter Hunter Kirksey then moved him to third with a single to set Becker’s RBI sacrifice fly.         Drew Dismukes, who hurled the final 3 2/3 innings in relief of starter Brandon Cook, pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh by striking out one and getting the last out on an infield pop-up.         Kirksey finished with three hits while Becker, Justin Ware and Dismukes had two hits each for St. Luke’s (25-13), which is making its first appearance in a championship series. Shoals Christian (30-22), which had won 25 straight playoff games coming into the series, was led by pitcher Will Bishop, who slugged a triple and single. Catcher Charlie Kelley also had a double and one RBI.         Bishop (7-7) pitched all seven innings for the Flame, allowing allowed 10 hits and striking out seven.        

Class 4A Championship Series Game 1: Guntersville 9, Beauregard 8

Game 3: Guntersville 8, Beauregard 6

     Guntersville catcher Robert Smith slugged a clutch two-out, three-run homer in the top of the seventh inning Friday night to lift the Wildcats to a state title with an 8-6 win over Beauregard in the third and deciding game of the Class 4A baseball championship series.       For Smith, it was the first homer of his playing career.       The ball hit the top of the fence over the left-field wall, bounced back into the field of play and Smith never stopped sprinting around the bases as Guntersville (29-7) broke open a 4-4 tie with four runs in the final frame.        A.J. Wilder’s single to right plated Clayton Daniel to put Coach Kenny Chaffin’s team ahead for good.  Wilder finished with two hits and three RBIs, Smith had two hits and Daniel had three hits and three runs scored.       Beauregard (37-15) scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh when Zach Walls doubled with two outs to score Clint Walker and Jesse Coleman singled to plate Walls. Daniels (11-0), who got the last out with a lineout to short, pitched all seven innings allowing nine hits and striking out four to get the win. Evan Holland had a hit and RBI and finished with six RBIs and five hits in the series to earn MVP honors. He also pitched the Wildcats’ first-game win.        Josh Rogers (10-7), who pitched a shutout in game two to keep the Hornets’ playoff hopes alive, took the loss in relief. He pitched the final two innings and struck out three and also had two hits,. Kyle Coker added two hits and two RBIs and Walls had two hits for Coach A.J. Kehoe’s squad.

Game 2: Beauregard 13, Guntersville 0 (5 innings)      Beauregard senior pitcher John Rogers (10-6) fired a two-hitter over four innings and the Hornets pounded 11 hits in a 13-0 win over Guntersville in game two of the AHSAA Class 4A state baseball championship series Friday.      The two teams were scheduled to meet in the third game of the best-of-three series Friday at Riverwalk Stadium.       Kyle Coker gave up one hit in the fifth inning to close out the win. Rogers struck out three and Coker one.       Catcher Zach Rivers had one hit and three RBIs for Beauregard (37-14). Shortstop Dalton Pritchett delivered the crowning blow – a bases-loaded triple to drive in three runs in a six-run third inning. He also had a single and scored three runs. Rogers also had two hits and three RBIs while Zach Walls and Coker added two hits each.       Clayton Daniel’s double led Guntersville (28-7).  Starting pitcher Justin Nichols gave up seven hits over 1 2/3 innings to get the loss.

     Guntersville (26-8) collected 12 hits Thursday night in its 9-8 victory over Beauregard (36-14) in the opening game of the best-of-three Class 4A state baseball championship series at Paterson Field.      In the end, however, coach Kenny Chafin had to turn to his bullpen to stave off the Hornets’ last-ditch rally in the top of the seventh inning to seal the win.      Evan Holland (10-2) pitched into the seventh, allowing seven hits, walking six and striking out five. Leading 9-6, he ran into trouble and Chafin called on A.J. Wilder to close the game. Wilder came in with the bases loaded and got the first two batters out before yielding two seeing-eye hits to Nathan Langley and Peyton Williams that scored two runs.      He then got the last out on a fly out to center to preserve the win. Guntersville got to Beauregard starter Clint Walker (13-1) early for four runs. The Beauregard ace lefty gave up eight hits and six runs before Jesse Coleman relieved him in the fourth and finished the game.      Holland was 3-for-3 with a double and four RBIs to pace the Wildcats. Nick McAnally also had a double and single to drive in two runs. Wilder and Ford McDonald also had two hits each. Catcher Zach Rivers had two hits and an RBI and Josh Rogers had one hit and two RBIs for Beauregard.

Class 1A Championship Series Game 3: Shoals Christian 12, St. Luke’s 2 (6 innings)      Shoals Christian downed St. Luke’s of Mobile 12-2 in game three Friday afternoon to capture the school’s third straight Class 1A state baseball championship.       The Flame (32-22) lost game one of the championship series Thursday night to St. Luke’s (25-15)  and came into Friday’s best-of-three series needing to win two in a row to keep their state championship streak alive.         Coach Jason Anderson’s team responded with 16 hits in a 14-4 second-game win and followed with 14 hits in the 12-2 win –both in six innings.         The hottest bats in the lineup were first baseman Aaron Bowman and outfielder Will Bishop. Bowman was 4-for-4 with two runs scored, a double and three RBIs in the final game to finish the series 9-of-11 with one home run and nine RBIs to earn MVP honors. Bishop, who hurled a complete game in the 3-2 loss, was also 9-of-11 with five runs scored, a triple and two RBIs.          Jamie Hartley came up big in game three with a two doubles and four RBIs. His bases-loaded double in the bottom of the sixth plated two runs and the final run came home when the throw from the outfield sailed over the St. Luke catcher’s head.           Devan Traglia also had two hits and Cory McLeary had a hit, scored two runs and had two RBIs.  Winning pitcher Christian Shipe (4-4) pitched five innings, allowed six hits and struck out four. Traliga, who got win two, pitched the final  inning.           Anderson also credited senior catcher Charlie Kelley’s defensive effort behind the plate. “He calls all our pitches and makes sure we are where we need to be,” he said. Kelley had one hit in game three and was 4-of-9 for the series.           Hunter Kirksey had an RBI single for Coach Tim Becker’s Wildcats. St. Luke’s, in their third year in the AHSAA, had no seniors on its roster. Dalton Becker (2-4) got the loss going four innings and striking out two.