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- Updated: March 11, 2021
Baseball roundup: Wellborn edges Saks in area opener on 10th-inning HBP; Donoho’s Haney throws five-inning no-hitter, and more
THURSDAY’S SCORES
Ashville 9, Ohatchee 2
Cherokee County 5, Pleasant Valley 0
Donoho 12, Faith Christian 0
Jacksonville Christian 12, Anniston 11
Munford 10, Clay Central 0
Southside 9, Alexandria 8
Spring Garden 9, Jacksonville 3
Westbrook Christian 5, Piedmont 0
Wellborn 8, Saks 7
White Plains 11, Weaver 1
By East Alabama Sports Today
Jett Smith took a painful payoff pitch in the leg with the bases loaded in the bottom of the tenth inning Thursday to give Wellborn an 8-7 victory over Saks in the area opener for both teams.
“It was huge getting that first area win; it’s always good to get the first one,” Wellborn coach Nick Burns said. “We needed that first area win.”
Saks forced extra innings when they scored three in the seventh. Connor Martin singled home the first run and Mason Jairrels tied it with a two-out, two-run triple, but his momentum carried him too far off the bag and he was out scrambling back to end the inning.
Both teams had runners in scoring position in ensuing innings, but couldn’t get them home.
Wellborn had the winning run in scoring position twice in the seventh inning. Saks loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but Smith got a strikeout to end the inning. And Wellborn had the winning run in scoring position with two outs in the ninth, but left him stranded.
“I knew we just had to keep fighting to stay in it,” Burns said. “There were times we were in striking distance and didn’t do it, but my kids’ energy was so high when they didn’t get it, they were like get a quick three (outs) and get it the next inning.”
Smith struck out the side in order in the top of the tenth. The Panthers loaded the bases in their half with one out on a hit batsman and two walks, bringing Smith to the plate. Rickey Garrett, the Wildcats’ third pitcher of the inning, had Smith down in the count, but the Panthers’ senior worked it back full before getting hit to bring Colby Boyd home.
“Jett’s a winner; he’s going to fight and scrap and give you everything he has,” Burns said. “It always feels good when you’ve got a guy like that at the plate in that situation.”
Smith worked the final two innings behind starter JoJo Wyatt, giving up only two walks and striking out five. Wyatt fanned eight in eight innings.
Brayden Dempsey went 3-for-6 with two triples and four RBIs for Wellborn. Kaden Goodwin went 3-for-4. Shon Elston went 3-for-5 for Saks.
Donoho 12, Faith Christian 0: Slade Haney was turned loose on the mound for the first time this season and the junior right-hander responded with a five-inning, 10-strikeout no-hitter as Donoho completed a sweep of its opening area series.
Haney hurt his arm during the Falcons’ first week of hitting and was only cleared to start throwing off a mound right before the County Tournament. He threw one inning to close their win against Saks, striking out three, and then coach Steve Gendron handed him the ball against the Lions.
Haney threw 65 pitches, 43 for strikes. The Lions loaded the bases on him with one out in the second on a hit batsman and two walks, but he got out of it with two strikeouts. He retired the last 11 he faced.
“He threw it well,” Gendron said. “He had one bad inning. He walked the bases loaded trying to overthrow, but he was a pretty lights out. He was lights out the whole day except for that one inning.”
The plan was to let him go as long as he could as long as he felt good. Actually, Gendron was going to pull him in the fifth, then was told by the bench Haney had a no-hitter going.
“It was honestly a dream come true to finally accomplish that and I thank God that He allowed me to throw one,” Haney said. “All of my pitches were working right and I had a solid defense behind me to help. My teammates earned this as much as I did.”
Six runs in the first and three homers later in the game helped the cause. Haney hit the first homer leading off the third after he got out of the jam on the mound. Nick Thompson and Tyler Allen hit two-run homers in the fourth. Thompson, Judson Billings and Connor Goodson all had two hits and two RBIs. Lucas Elliot went 3-for-3.
The Falcons outscored Faith 26-3 in the two games. Thompson was 4-for-6 with three RBIs in the series, Billings 4-for-7 with five RBIs, Haney 4-for-7 with four RBIs and Goodson 5-for-6 with six RBIs.
White Plains 11, Weaver 1: Miles Austin homered and tripled, drove in a pair of runs, and three White Plains pitchers combined on a two-hitter. Austin’s homer came in a three-run third that snapped a 1-1 tie. Jaden Chatman went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a pair of RBIs and Duke Barnett, the Wildcats’ starting pitcher, drove in a pair of runs. Noah Breiner drove in Weaver’s run with a second-inning single.
JCA 12, Anniston 11: Ethan Burrage went 3-for-4 with a two-run inside-the-park homer and Brodie Clay had two hits as the Thunder edged Anniston. Ethan Fair was the winning pitcher.
Southside 9, Alexandria 8: The Panthers scored two runs on an infield error with one out in the bottom of the seventh to cap a winning three-run rally. Southside scored eight runs over the last three innings.
The Valley Cubs tied the game in the top of the seventh on Canyon Mickler’s RBI single to right, but the Panthers cut down the go-ahead run at the plate.
Sam Wade had three hits for Alexandria, Johnathon West and Seth Johnson had two hits apiece, and West, Ian Cartwright and Zachary Baskins each had two RBIs. Hayden Fry had four RBIs for Southside.
Westbrook Christian 5, Piedmont 0:Sam Dutton held Piedmont to four singles over five innings and struck out 10 in the Bulldogs’ first game since winning their second straight Calhoun County Tournament title. The Warriors scored a run in the first on Brodie Self’s RBI single and sealed it with four in the sixth. Max Hanson had two of Piedmont’s four hits.
Spring Garden 9, Jacksonville 3: Chaz Pope made up for an error that allowed a run to score in the top of the first with a game-tying two-run homer in the bottom of the inning and the Panthers added two more before it was over to take the lead for good. The Panthers jammed all their runs into the first three innings, while Weston Kirk kept the Golden Eagles’ bats in check after the opening frame.
Tito Canales went 3-for-4 for Jacksonville and Dreylan Fomby had two hits.
Cherokee County 5, Pleasant Valley 0: Daegan Scott pitched a four-hit complete-game shutout with six strikeouts and Connor Wilson homered for the Warriors. The winners broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the fourth inning without the benefit of a hit. Wilson led off the bottom of the sixth with his homer, extending the lead to 4-0.
Munford 10, Clay Central 0: Brody Stephens and Alex Petty combined to shut out the Vols on six hits. Stephens also smacked a pair of doubles and had two RBIs. Kade Keith and Connor Morgan also had two hits and two RBIs. The Lions broke it open with a seven-run fourth inning.
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