Clinching time
- Updated: April 12, 2021
Donoho beats JCA to clinch first area title since 2015; Faith Christian sweeps Talladega, needs Donoho help to get in; Munford walks off against Leeds
Monday’s baseball scores
Donoho 10, Jacksonville Christian 2
Faith Christian 19-5, Talladega 1-1
Munford 8, Leeds 6
Tuesday’s games
Alexandria at St. Clair County
Cedar Bluff at Saks
Cherokee County at Jacksonville
Glencoe at Piedmont
Munford at White Plains
Pleasant Valley at Ohatchee
Ragland at Donoho
Southside at Oxford
Wellborn at Woodland
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
JACKSONVILLE – The players on the Donoho baseball team have their sights on a ring. Not necessarily the one they earned Monday, though they’d gladly accept that one if offered, but the big one that comes at the end of the season.
First things first, though.
The Falcons clinched their first area title since coach Steve Gendron’s first season at the helm (2015) when they beat Jacksonville Christian 10-2 at Henry Farm Park to claim the Class 1A Area 9 crown.
“It’s been a while,” Falcons centerfielder Lucas Elliott said. “This is a huge confidence boost. We’ve worked for this over years and years and it feels really good to do this for Skip (Gendron) and (assistant coach Matt) Ford.
“We’ve always had Spring Garden (standing in their way), whose always been a big powerhouse, but when they moved out of the area we felt like it was our time to step up. We want a ring.”
The big perk to being area champion is getting to open the playoffs at home. The Falcons will open the 1A playoffs against Meek, the Area 11 runner-up.
“The goal has always been to win the area because that gives you a solid path in the postseason,” Gendron said. “The common goal is always win the area. Our record non-area matters, but to be undefeated in the area at this point … that’s the goal.”
The Falcons still have two more area games to play before the week’s out and while their playoff position is secured they hold the key to which area rival will join them.
The Falcons wrap up the area schedule against Ragland in a series that starts today. If they sweep the series, Faith Christian will earn its first playoff berth since 2012 as the area’s No. 2 team. If Ragland splits or sweeps, the Purple Devils will go as the area runner-up and travel to Area 11 champion Sumiton Christian for their playoff opener.
Gendron hopes the Falcons play “a lot better” against Ragland than they did Monday. They scored three in the first before JCA coach Tommy Miller started calling pitches and turned two unusual double plays to keep the Thunder off the scoreboard, but they weren’t sharp at the plate.
Elliott went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs and Slade Henry went 2-for-4 with four RBIs and four runs scored, but the Falcons struck out 19 times, including five times in fifth inning. All 12 players who batted for the Falcons struck out at least once.
“Strikeouts are an issue,” Gendron said. “What I’ve been telling the guys is I’ve struck out tons of times in my life and I hated it every time I did, but you have to learn from it. More often than not with us, we’re not being aggressive enough. There are times when we’re really locked in and we’re focused and we’re swinging at good pitches. Today was not one of those. Kudos to their starter.”
Thunder starter Cam Moses fanned 13 in 4 2/3 innings.
“I knew (his pitchers) struck out several, but I didn’t know it was that many,” Miller said. “I feel like our pitching has improved through the year. Cam really has pitched well the last couple games.”
Donoho 10, Jacksonville Christian 2
Donoho 301 033 0 – 10 8 3
JCA 000 110 0 – 2 4 5
WP: Slade Haney. LP: Kam Moses. 2B: Lucas Elliott 2 (D), Slade Haney (D).
Faith Christian 19-1, Talladega 5-1: The Lions pounded 20 hits and pitched a pair of two-hitters in their doubleheader sweep.
Andrew Folsom, Walker Whitworth and Alex Almanza drove in four runs apiece in the opener and Brodie Dodson and Almanza each threw two innings in a two-hitter. Colton Pahman and Kash Sharma each drove in a pair of runs in the nightcap.
Faith Christian 19, Talladega 1
Faith 356 5 – 19 16 0
Talladega 100 0 – 1 2 5
WP: Brodie Dodson. LP: Jace Dandridge. 2B: Brodie Dodson (F), Andrew Folsom (F), Alex Almanza (F), D. Ligons (T). 3B: Brodie Dodson (F), Andrew Folsom (F).
Faith Christian 5, Talladega 1
Faith 104 00 – 5 4 1
Talladega 000 10 – 1 2 4
WP: Colton Pahman. LP: D. Ligons.
Munford 8, Leeds 6: Tyler Stephens hit a two-out, two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to cap a three-run rally that produced the playoff-bound Lions’ victory.
Stephens went 3-for-5 in the game. He delivered his game-winner after Jayce Harris drove home the tying run with a fielder’s choice.
“I just wanted to hit the ball hard,” Stephens said. “I knew a double would win it, so I knew I was going to take a big cut until I got two strikes.”
“Tyler is a guy who lays in bed at night thinking about moments like this,” Munford coach Derek Stephens said. “I had a good feeling he would come through for us. I’m very happy for him and the rest of our team. It was a great team win.”
The Lions (14-9) held an early 4-0 lead, but needed a run in the sixth to tie the game and force extra innings.
The Lions open the playoffs next week at Bibb County.
Munford 8, Leeds 6
Leeds 001 040 001 – 6 11 5
Munford 220 001 003 – 8 7 2
WP: Dawson Irvin. LP: Jarod Latta. 2B: Caden Vance (L), Connor Fisher (M), Brady Smith (M). 3B: Joseph Whitcomb (L). HR: Tyler Stephens (M).
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