6A No. 4 Oxford (16) vs. 4A No. 10 Deshler (2)

OXFORD, AL - The Yellow Jackets had an offensive explosion in the first game of the day at Choccolocco Park versus a talented Deshler team. Oxford turned to RHP Nick Hamlin (2021, Lawson State CC) to kick things off on the mound, while Deshler handed the ball to RHP Reese Wilson (2023).

Oxford wasted no time jumping out to an early lead in the first few innings. SS Sam Robertson (2023, Auburn) recorded three doubles in the game, with the first coming when he drove home a leadoff walk in the 1st. After adding a few more runs on walks & errors, C Caleb Thomas (2023) added a RBI to his name on a single to center field, giving the Yellow Jackets a 6-0 lead. OF Trey Higgins (2021, Mississippi State) stepped back up in the 1st for his second at-bat of the inning and crushed a fastball to deep center field for a RBI triple. SS Sam Robertson (2023, Auburn) came back up also and doubled again to drive home Higgins to cap off an eight run 1st. Oxford led 8-0 after the 1st inning.

Higgins and Co. answered back again in the 2nd inning with a four run frame. With the bases loaded after a single, error and a hit-by-pitch, OF Trey Higgins (2021, Mississippi State) tripled home three more runs on his second triple of the game, and advanced home on a throwing error into the dugout. The Yellow Jackets extended their commanding lead to 12-0 after two innings.

Deshler answered back with two runs of their own to start the 3rd inning. After OF Nick Whitten (2021) and 3B Brayden Buckner (2021, Calhoun CC) singled, 1B Parker Willingham (2021, Shelton State CC) reached on an error that allowed two runs to come home. This made the score 12-2 after 2 ½ innings. Oxford pushed across three more runs in the home-half of the 3rd inning. After a leadoff single, 1B Gavin Orcutt (2021, Coastal Alabama CC) smoked a double to left field that scored a run. The Yellow Jackets added two more runs on a passed ball and wild pitch to make the score 15-2 heading to the 4th.

Deshler went down quietly in the 4th and 5th innings, and Oxford added another run in the bottom of the 4th inning. This game ended in a 5 inning mercy rule win for Oxford, 16-2.

Top Performers - Oxford

Trey Higgins - 2-3, 2 3B’s, 6 RBI’s, 3 R’s, BB

Sam Robertson - 4-4, 3 2B’s, RBI, 2 R’s

Gavin Orcutt - 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI’s, 2 R’s, BB

Nick Hamlin - W, 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R (0 ER), BB, 6 K’s

Top Performers - Deshler

Nick Whitten - 2-3, R

Parker Willingham - 2 RBI’s

 

 

6A Pell City (5) vs. 6A No. 8 Southside (3) 9 Innings

SOUTHSIDE, AL - Pell City traveled to No. 8 Southside on Monday night for the 1st game of a 6A Area 13 matchup at Southside High School. This game went back and forth for nine innings and was ultimately decided on the last pitch. Pell City gave the ball to RHP Jackson Sweatt (2021, Southern Union CC), while Southside went to SS/RHP Jacob Little (2021, Southern Union CC) on the mound. These future teammates battled against each for eight innings on the mound and it was fun to watch.

Both teams traded zero’s in the first two innings of play. Both pitchers did an excellent job of mixing speeds and working out of trouble. Pell City, however, jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the 3rd. After two singles with two outs, 2B Baylor Smith (2022) lined one to left field that looked like a routine play, but an error by the left fielder allowed a runner to come home to score to make it 1-0. Southside battled back in the bottom half to tie things up again. SS Jacob Little (2021, Southern Union CC) hammered a fastball to deep right field and came all the way around to 3rd base for a stand-up triple with one out. He came in to score on a ground out from 3B Landon Brasher (2022) in the next at-bat. This knotted things back up at 1-1 after three innings.

After tossing up a zero in the top of the 4th, Southside took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 4th. Although the first two hitters of the inning were retired rather quickly, the Panthers got some production from the bottom of their lineup. After back-to-back two out singles, DH Jacob McFarling (2022) singled through the left side of the infield with two strikes to bring home the runner from 2nd base, giving the Panthers their first lead of the game.

Both pitchers settled in after allowing a run or two after the first few frames. Southside still carried a 2-1 lead heading to the top of the 7th, needing only three outs to secure a Game 1 victory. Pell City, however, had other plans. After a strikeout to start the inning, a single from OF William Perry (2024) and a walk put the Panthers in business with one out. Little was able to get the next hitter to groundout to make it two outs with Pell City down to their last shot. OF Tait Nunnally (2023) came through with the biggest hit of the game with a single back up the middle that plated the runner from 3rd base. This tied the game back up at 2-2, and they took the 3-2 lead on the next hitter on an error by the shortstop. 

SS Jacob Little started off the bottom of the 7th with a leadoff walk, and advanced to 3rd via a stolen base and a balk with no outs. This set the stage for 3B Landon Brasher (2022) who singled home Little on a single that dropped down in center field, tying the game back up at 3-3 and heading the extra innings.

After a clean 8th inning by both teams, Pell City finally broke through in the top of the 9th with multiple runs. With the bases loaded and no one out, 3B Nick Wilson (2022) struck one back up the middle for a single that drove home two runs. This gave Pell City a 5-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th, where they would record three outs and secure a huge victory in area play.

Top Performers - Pell City

Tait Nunnally - 2-4, RBI, R, BB; SV, 0.2 IP

Jackson Sweatt - W, 8.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 10 K’s; 2-5. 2B. 3 R’s

Nick Wilson - 1B, 2 RBI’s

Top Performers - Southside

Jacob Little - 1-3, 3B, 2 R’s, 2 BB’s; 8 IP, 5 H, 3 R, (1 ER), BB, 7 K’s

Landon Brasher - 1B, 2 RBI’s

Jacob McFarling - 1-3, RBI

 

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