LIONS SPILT DOUBLE DIPPER WITH STANHOPE ELMORE

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PRATTVILLE DROP IMPORTANT FIRST GAME; CHANDLER MULLINS; 3-HITTER SHUT DOWN MUSTANGS IN NIGHTCAP 10-0

Prattville’s baseball team salvaged the nightcap of a twin bill with the Stanhope Elmore Mustangs Friday night March 15 in Millbrook.  However, Stanhope Elmore rallied from, a 4-0 deficit in the important first game to nip the Lions 6-5 and earn a tie in the Area 7 race.

The win for Prattville in the second game is only used in case of a tie-breaking situation when Area play is completed.

Thompson High School spilt a double header with Wetumpka Friday Night; however the Warriors won the first game and thusly have a 2-0 record in the Area 7 standings with Stanhope Elmore and Prattville following with 1-1.

Prattville has a date with Thompson April 2 in Alabaster for a single game, and April 5th in Prattville with a double dip.  The Lions then will end Area play with a single game in Prattville with Wetumpka and then a double dip in Wetumpka on April 12.

The first round of the playoffs will begin April 19^th.

Sophomore right handed pitcher Elijah Stewart got the start in the first game and pitched a brilliant one hitter for five innings.  Stewart ran out of gas in the sixth inning as Stanhope Elmore rapped  four hits, plus a costly throwing error aided the Mustangs to knot the game at four-all.

The Mustangs then won the game in the bottom of the seventh inning scoring their winning run with two outs on a clutch two base hit by Andrew Casey.

FIRST GAME:  STANHOPE ELMORE 6 PATTVILLE 5

Prattville took a 1-0 lead in the second inning after one was out.  Chris Barber stroked a single down third base line, and then went to second on a single by Ethan Lambdin.  An infield hit by Chandler Mullins and a sacrifice bunt plated Barber.

Prattville made it 2-0 in the fifth inning with an unearned run.  Dalton Yarnell reached first after two were out on a Mustang infield error.  Lambdin collected his third hit of the afternoon to drive Yarnell home for a 2-0 lead.

Prattville added two runs in the sixth inning as Fisher, Hayden White, and Shelby McVey stroked base hits to plate two runs.  The damage could have been worst for the Mustangs had not left fielder Matt Wickham made a remarkable one hand grab of Doug Price’s scorcher into left field that appeared to be over Wickham’s head.  Wickham jumped up and grabbed the fly ball and rifled to first base to double off Chandler Kemp who had reached base on a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

The great defensively play ignited the Mustangs to rally for four runs off Stewart in the bottom of the inning and tie the game.

Prattville fought back in their half of the seventh inning with a solo run.  Yarnell started the inning with a base hit into left field, was sacrificed to second by Barber, and scored on a throwing error by Mustang pitcher Tyler Hutton.   Hutton then retired Mullins and Fisher on two pitches to set the stage for the come from behind win.

After one was out Dylan Sexton walked, but relief pitcher Pearson Hall got Austin Anderson to ground out to first for the second out.  Corbin Shaw worked Hall for a 3-2 count then rapped a double into deep center field to plate Sexton.  On a 1-0 count Casey blasted the game winning double into center field.

The glaring deficiency in Prattville’s offense came with 12 runners stranded.  Prattville left nine of those in scoring position.

SECOND GAME: PRATTVILLE 10 STANHOPE ELMORE 0 (SIX INNING MERCY RULE)

Chandler Mullins gave the Lions a spilt of the double header with an outstanding ccomplete game effort.  Mullins faced only 22 hitters, gave up three base hits, struck out three and walked only one.  Drake Cabe, Dylan Sexton had base hits in the first inning.  Mullins did not surrender another hit until the fifth inning.Mullins’ teammates scored a run in the first inning when Shelby McVey rapped a long double into left field.

In the second inning Prattville tacked on two more runs with hits from Fisher and Lambdin for a 3-0 lead.

Prattville broke the game open in the fifth inning with five runs and an 8-0 lead.  Prattville added two more runs in the sixth inning to complete the ten runs and a mercy rule win as Mullins retired the Mustangs in the bottom of the sixth aided by a game clinching double play from Donovan Fisher to Dalton Yarnell to Shelby McVey.

McVey led Prattville with three base raps, and two ribbies, while Ethan Lambdin and Donovan Fisher also had two base hits.