LIONS OPEN SEASON WITH DOUBLE DIP WIN

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SAM CHAMBLISS GOES FIVE FOR FIVE DURING THE DOUBLE DIP WINS

AUSTIN CROOK PITCHES SIX SOLID INNINGS IN OPENER

Head baseball coach Tommy Goodson had to be happy with the results of the opening of the 2012 high school baseball season.  Monday afternoon, February 20, his Lions, while not a perfect performance, rolled over Central High of Phenix City and Chilton County High of Clanton at the school’s baseball park.

In the opener, which was played in brilliant sunshine, although a tad cool; Prattville behind the three-hit pitching of southpaw Austin Crook, won rather handily, 4-1.

In the nightcap the Lions broke open a tight game with Chilton County High in the sixth inning with a five run outburst to win the nightcap in weather not exactly conducive for baseball, 9-3, as the temperature dropped to 38-degrees by the final inning.

Goodson got an excellent outing from Crook in the opener.  With an 85-pitch count limit, the senior lefty faced only 23 hitters, fanned seven and walked one in an excellent first game outing against a good baseball team.

Crook threw 94 pitches in six innings, with 64 being strikes. Crook’s teammates played flawless defensive baseball for majority of the game.  The Lions committed one error in the fifth inning when first baseman Shelby McVey mishandled a throw.

Crook gave way to Derrick Deates in the final inning.  Deates gave up a towering home run to Central’s Jordan Brown after one was out, and then walked a pinch hitter before retiring Jamal Howard with a four pitch strikeout.

In the night cap, number two starter, Jordan Friday got into a jam in the first inning, giving up two base hits and walking one.  He escaped with only one run being score by getting the final two outs via sickouts and stranding two Tigers, one at third and one on first.

Friday breezed through the Tigers lineup until the sixth inning, when he got into another jam.  Friday walked one, gave up a double and two singles allowing Chilton County to pull within one run, at 4-3.

Goodson called in relief pitcher, Evan McCollum, and McCollum got Sawyer Cahlane to fly out to left field and caught J. D. Minor looking at a third strike on a full count.

McCollom retired the Tigers in the final inning, with the exception of one runner, who reached on a throwing error by second baseman Chandler Kemp.

PRATTVILLE 4 CENTRAL 1

Sam Chambliss’ long fly ball into deep center field plated Ethan Lambdin, courtesy runner for catcher Josh Lovelady, for the first Lion run and a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Lovelady   had walked and went to third on a base hit from Hayden White.

Prattville made it 4-0 in the third inning with a three run outburst.  Garrison Mathis started the inning with an infield scratch hit.  He then scored as Dalton Kelley blasted a line drive triple down the first base line into deep right field.  Lovelady walked.  Lambdin ran for Lovelady, and both scored when Chambliss ripped a single into right field for a 4-0 lead.

Central scored their lone tally in the final inning when Jordan Brown lifted a towering fly ball over the left field marker after one was out.

The Lions could muster only six hits off two Central hurlers.  Chambliss had two of those hits.

PRATTVILLE 9 CHILTON COUNTY 3

Chilton County took an early 1-0 lead as Lion starter Jordan Friday got into an early jam.  Friday walked the leadoff bitter, Cameron Cummings.  He retired Kipp Moore, but then gave up back to back singles to Craig Headley and Trenton Bishop with Cummings scoring.

Friday then settled down and struck out Blake Teel and Evan Moatts to ease out with only the one run scored.

Friday then retired 12 of the next 14 hitters he faced.  One of those reached base on an infield error, and the onther on a walk.  In the top of the sixth inning he gave up a double to Headley when the baseball dropped between left fielder Derrick Deates and centerfielder Dalton Kelley as both were apparently confused as to who would catch the fly ball.  Friday then walked Bishop

Blake Teel then blasted a scorcher down first base line to plate Headley.  Friday fanned Moatts, but gave up a solid base rap to Tyler Crowson that send Bishop home trimming the Lions' lead to 4-3.

Goodson gave the call to the bull pen with McCollum coming in with runners at first and second.  McCollumn did the job getting Cahlane to fly out and fanning Minor.  McCollum retired the side in the final inning with the exception of one running reaching base on  the Lions’ second error of the game.

Prattville knotted the game in their half of the second inning.  Chambliss continued his torrid hitting spree with a double into right field.  He then scored later on a wild pitch.

Prattville took the lead for good in the fifth inning.  Garrison Mathis led off with a single and advanced to third base on two straight wild pitches.  Lovelady connected with a single into center field to plate Mathis.    Hayden White walked.  Chambliss then blasted a double into deep center field to score Lovelady and White for a 4-1 lead.

Prattville pushed over five runs in the sixth inning rapping out three base hits sandwiched around a walk to Lovelady.  Chambliss drove in another Lion run with a double to finish the evening with five base raps in the same number at bats.

Prattville will hit the road this weekend to take on Oak Mountain and Tuscaloosa’s Hillcrest in a tri meet at the Patriots’ home park.

Oak Mountain is led by senior outfielder David Dahl.  Dahl is projected to be the state’s highest prep baseball draft pick since 2006. Dahl is rated easily as a top 10 high school baseball player in the nation.

Prattville will play Oak Mountain at 3 p.m. and then take on Hillcrest in the nightcap.