E.A. Sports Today

County semifinals suspended

Alexandria wins; Oxford, White Plains stopped in fourth

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

ALEXANDRIA — Wes Brooks admitted it felt weird.

In 15 years of coaching the Oxford baseball coach couldn’t remember ever playing a game that got suspended in mid-flight. But there he was Wednesday, ushering players out of Alexandria’s third-base dugout after weather once again interrupted the Calhoun County Baseball Tournament.

At least there was some baseball played. Alexandria beat Piedmont in the only semifinal that was completed, 7-1, while Oxford and White Plains were suspended after three innings with the Yellow Jackets having just taken a 6-2 lead.

The teams will return Monday at 4:30 p.m. to complete the suspended game, with the championship game set shortly after its completed.

“We’re glad we got to play,” said Alexandria coach Andy Shaw, whose players worked on the field for four hours getting it ready for play. “We wish they would’ve got to finish, but there’s no use getting frustrated about it; that’s just the way it goes.

“I’m just glad we got some innings on the mound, glad we got some bats against live pitching. Hopefully the weather will get better and we get a little rhythm here.”

It’s been that kind of week. The first round was completed Saturday, but the semifinals were washed out both Monday and Tuesday. All three remaining teams have multiple games scheduled through the weekend.

“I’m just glad to get out on the field even if it was only four innings,” Brooks said. “It was pretty there for about 2-3 hours.”

Nice enough for Alexandria and Piedmont to get in their game. The Cubs (5-1) got a go-ahead homer by Dalton Cobb and five runs in the fourth inning to break it open.

In the other semifinal, White Plains hit Jake Cook hard early, taking a 2-0 lead in the first on Jarrett Webb’s two-run double. But then Cook settled down and retired the next six Wildcats, five in a row by strikeout. Kevin Carr broke that string with a double, his second hit of the game.

Cook, who had thrown only three innings before Wednesday, threw 52 pitches over the three innings Wednesday, but given Brooks’ policy of one hour off for each pitch one throws, there may a chance Cook returns Monday. White Plains coach Chad Hudson, meanwhile, couldn’t predict the way the weekend might impact his Monday pitching plans.

“White Plains came out ready to play,” Brooks said. “They had to have a good start and they did. They came out swinging the bats.”

The Yellow Jackets came to life in the second. Jacob Sears doubled home a run in the second and was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple, then the Jackets sent 11 batters to the plate in the third and scored five to pull ahead. Sears had a two-run single in the inning and Dillen Miller followed with an RBI double.

“Our energy and tempo level at the beginning of the game wasn’t there,” Brooks said, “but after about an inning and a half I saw a little bit of confidence up at the plate, guys getting after it.

“We just have to continue to commit to the process and keep on battling one pitch at a time.”

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