Moving on feels good
- Updated: April 23, 2021
Oxford sweeps Arab to reach second round of Class 6A playoffs for first time since 2016; next up: Jasper
Friday’s playoff scores
Alexandria 3-9, John Carroll 4-8
Curry 12-15, Jacksonville 7-3
Donoho 18-18, Meek 3-1
Ohatchee 3-16, Childersburg 0-4
Oxford 10-7, Arab 0-3
Piedmont 9-11, Saks 5-0
Saturday’s game
Alexandria at John Carroll, 4:30 p.m.
By Brant Locklier
For East Alabama Sports Today
OXFORD – Finally, the Oxford Yellow Jackets got past the first round of the Class 6A state baseball playoffs.
The Yellow Jackets moved into the second round for the first time since 2016 Friday when they swept Arab Knights 10-0 and 7-3 at Choccolocco Park. The Jackets (29-6) will face Jasper (22-12) next week.
Oxford had lost to Homewood, Hazel Green and Hartselle in their previous three play-off appearances.
“I felt like in 2018, the first round was the state championship, and then Hazel Green goes on to win it all.,” Oxford coach Wes Brooks said. “They were deep. We were deep. We had a good senior class that year.
“In 2019, against Hartselle we had game two on Saturday because of the rain and last year was what it was. This year is good. I feel something special about these guys.”
Hayes Harrison’s one-out single in the seventh inning of the second game iced the sweep. The Jackets led 4-3 at the time and went on to win 7-3 as Hayes scored the seventh run on a single by R.J. Brooks, the head coach’s nephew.
It was ironic the Jackets’ first-round losing streak against teams that start with ‘H’ ended with a guy whose initials are ‘H.H.’
After two scoreless innings in the nightcap, the Jackets struck first when Chance Griner led off with a walk. Pinch runner Caleb Robertson advanced to second on a wild pitch and took third base on a ground out by Trey Higgins. He then scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Sam Robertson.
Arab, coached by former Saks and White Plains head coach Chad Hudson, bounced back in the bottom of the third with three runs on three hits to take a 3-1 lead. In between the hits Oxford pitcher Peyton Watts struck out the side.
Oxford countered with another run in the top of the fourth when Harrison doubled and R.J. Brooks got him home with a single to left.
The Yellow Jackets retook the lead with two runs in the top of the fifth. Higgins blooped a double into short left field and scored on Sam Robertson’s double that just barely dropped fair down the right field line. Robertson then put Oxford ahead 4-3, scoring on a ground out to first by Watts.
Watts started on the mound and fanned five in four innings and picked up the win. Lefty Harrison pitched the last three innings, striking out six and allowing just two hits.
Everything was coming up three’s for Oxford in the first game.
The Yellow Jackets scored two runs each in three different innings, they held Arab to three hits and three walks for the game, Oxford batters were hit three times by pitches, the Jackets scored three times on sacrifice hits and every batting position in the Oxford batting order came up exactly three times.
It was the third straight playoff series they won the first game of the best-of-three series by the 10-run rule.
The Jackets got two runs in the first inning on a bases-loaded double play. Trey Higgins scored from third and Sam Roberson scored a hustling run from second. The first three Oxford batters reached on two hit batters and a walk.
A double by Griner and a sacrifice fly by Roberson gave Oxford two more runs in the second inning.
And in the third, the Jackets got three runs on three hits – all triples by Watts, Harrison and R.J. Brooks. Watts came home on a sacrifice fly to the second baseman, Harrison came home on a passed ball and Brooks came home on a sacrifice fly to the outfield.
Two walks, a hit batsman and a single by Watts got Oxford two more runs in the fourth and Griner ended the game in the fifth with a single to left.
Trey Mooney got the win on the mound for Oxford allowing no runs on just two hits in four innings.
Game One
Oxford 10, Arab 0
Arab 000 00 – 0 3 2
Oxford 223 21 – 10 8 1
WP: Trey Mooney. LP: James Jackson. 2B: Chance Griner (O). 3B: Peyton Watts (O), Hayes Harrison (O), R.J. Brooks (O)
Game Two
Oxford 7, Arab 3
Oxford 001 120 3 – 7 9 2
Arab 003 000 0 – 3 5 2
WP: Peyton Watts. LP: Gavin McBride. 2B: Hayden Turner (A), Sam Roberson (O).
You must be logged in to post a comment Login