3A CHAMPIONSHIP: Trinity falls in Game 1 to Piedmont
Piedmont’s Sloan Smith slides into home as Trinity catcher Grayson Ashe guards the plate in the Wildcats’ loss in Game 1 of the Class 3A Championship on Monday. (Photo courtesy AHSAA/Marvin Gentry)
By TIM GAYLE
JACKSONVILLE -- Piedmont scored four runs in the second inning and held off Trinity the remainder of the game, defeating the Wildcats 4-2 in the first game of the best-of-three 3A championship series at Jacksonville State’s Jim Case Stadium on Monday night.
Piedmont (37-5) and Trinity (31-7) will play the second game on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Jim Case Stadium. A third game, if necessary, will immediately follow at approximately 12:30 p.m.
The Bulldogs put two runners on first base in the first inning against Trinity starter Ben Easterling but made it count in the second inning when Max Hanson’s bases-loaded, two-out single drove in the game’s first two runs.
Jack Hayes followed with a fly ball to right field and reached on an error to drive in two more runs for a 4-0 lead.
Trinity finally answered in the fourth inning after a Grayson Ashe single. Christopher Bryan singled in Webber McClinton, a courtesy runner for Ashe, and Bryan scored on back-to-back singles by Brady Rascoll and Jordan Jenkins to cut the lead in half.
The Wildcats would get runners on base in each of the final three innings but couldn’t string together consecutive hits. Simmons Byrd singled in the fifth but was thrown out stealing second and singled again in the seventh but Jack Hayes countered by striking out Mac McClinton to end the game.
Hayes picked up the win, allowing nine hits and two runs in seven innings while walking one and striking out four.
Easterling took the loss, allowing just five hits and two earned runs in six innings while walking two and striking out six.
Byrd went 2 for 3 with a walk and Easterling went 2 for 3 to lead the Wildcats.
Trinity is gunning for its seventh state title and first since 2015. Piedmont is chasing its first state title in baseball.