Milestone win
- Updated: March 30, 2018
Valley Cubs give their coach his 500th career victory in 14-4 Spring Break Experience win over Lawrence County
Alexandria coach Andy Shaw gets up as Jalen Borders gets down on a triple during the Calhoun County Tournament earlier this season. (Photos by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos)
By East Alabama Sports Today
OXFORD – Andy Shaw scored his 500th career coaching victory Friday in Alexandria’s 14-4 win over Lawrence County at Choccolocco Park, and he accepted the milestone in typical Andy Shaw fashion.
“That just tells you I’ve been doing it a long time – 27 years,” he said. “We’ve got some good kids out there and I’ve been around them for 27 years.”
The win carried even more significance for the current Valley Cubs team. It snapped a seven-game losing streak that’s a product of the competition the team regularly plays as anything.
The Cubs were playing in the Spring Break Experience at The Big House on the heels of a four-game stretch in Mobile against three of the top-five teams in the state. Assistant coach Zac Welch kept up with the record to make sure the milestone didn’t get lost as the Cubs worked to get back on the winning track.
“We’ve always tried to play a tough schedule around here trying to win state championships; that’s what we try to coach for,” Shaw said. “We haven’t done it, I know, but we try to play a schedule that gets us ready for that.
“It’s never been about wins, our main goal is getting in the playoffs, area championships and state championships. We’ve never looked at records much.”
The Valley Cubs (8-14) got back on the winning track and gave their coach his milestone win by getting back to basics. They scored at least one run in every inning and three pitchers allowed only six hits. Justin Shaw, Noah Primm, Mitch Welch (two RBIs) and starting pitcher Jalen Borders each had two hits.
“I thought we played well, took care of business,” Shaw said. “We just played basic baseball 101. We’ve had some self-destructive tendencies in the past. I’m hoping we’ve gotten through that.”
Vestavia Hills 14, Ohatchee 3: The Rebels broke open a 2-2 game with a seven-run third inning, then added five more in the fourth.
The Indians grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first on Jesse Sellers’ two-run bases-loaded single, but Vestavia Hills tied it in the bottom of the inning. The Rebels sent 12 batters to the plate in the third and 10 in the fourth.
Larry Noah scored Ohatchee’s other run in the fifth. Noah and Grayson Alward had the Indians’ other hits.
Moody 5, Weaver 0: Hunter Garcia threw a one-hitter with nine strikeouts. Tyler Perez broke up the no-hitter in the fifth with a one-out single.
Oxford 11, Pinson Valley 3: Brody Syer went 3-for-4, including his fifth homer of the year, and starter Jarin Turner pitched five innings of three-hit ball for the Yellow Jackets.
Syer’s homer led off the home first and tied the game after PV scored an unearned run in the top of the inning. Brantley Bargerhuff had two hits and Brennan McCullough drove in two runs for the Jackets.
Moody 8, Jacksonville 7: The Golden Eagles put together a four-run rally in the seventh, but had the tying run cut down trying to score on a wild pitch for the final out.
Piedmont 9, Munford 8: Taylor Morrow and T.J. Fairs scored runs in the sixth inning to snap a 7-7 tie and Bailey Graves turned back a threat in the seventh to wrap up a complete game. Draven Campbell’s two-run RBI triple made it 9-8, but he was left there.
Morrow had two hits, Brant Deerman had two hits and two RBIs, and Mason Mohon drove in two runs for the Bulldogs. Austin Harry had two hits and three RBIs for Munford.
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