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05/16 - 6:04 PM Baseball Final Andalusia 10 Hokes Bluff 6
Ethan Wilson wasn’t about to be denied a third time.
The senior helped the Andalusia football and basketball teams to the final four of those sports this school year, but the Bulldogs were denied titles both times.
It didn’t happen Wednesday.
Wilson pitched seven strong innings in Game 2 of the Class 4A state baseball championship series against Hokes Bluff, propelling his team to a 2-1, 10-6 sweep of the Eagles at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery.
The victories earned the Bulldogs the first state baseball title in school history.
"It's definitely the best feeling in the world," said Wilson, the series MVP. "I told my team I would get the job done in Game 2 and then they picked me up in Game 3. It kind of sucks that the year is over, but this is the best way it could have ended."
Hokes Bluff won Game 1 6-3 on Tuesday night, ending Andalusia's 19-game win streak in the process. However, the Bulldogs proved resilient once again Wednesday.
“I told our kids that the series against Bibb County last week may have been the gutsiest performance I’ve seen in a while,” Andalusia coach Tyler Dent said. “They matched it tonight.
“We didn’t play well last night, but we refocused for today. Hats off to Ethan for that Game 2 performance. He twisted his ankle but was able to grind it out. Then, in a third game, anything can happen and it did.”
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The crucial moment of the series likely happened in the third inning of Wednesday night’s first game. Wilson, a South Alabama signee, was injured while backing up home plate when he stepped on the catcher’s mask.
He limped noticeably when he returned to the mound. However, trainers taped his right ankle in the dugout, and he played the rest of the day. He allowed just one run on three hits. He walked three and struck out four.
“It didn’t feel good for sure,” Wilson said. “When I got it taped, I was able to get back out there and my adrenaline kicked in. There was no way I was coming out of that game.”
Weston Ball’s RBI single in the bottom of that inning – ironically on the play in which Wilson suffered his injury.
Pitching was at a premium in the final game of the series, but the Bulldogs had more. Chip Morgan started and got the win, allowing six runs on five hits. His brother, Gill, pitched the final 2.2 innings and shut the Eagles out for the save.
Hokes Bluff (28-7) used five pitchers. Ball took the loss.
"You have to give a lot of credit to Andalusia," veteran Hokes Bluff coach Mike Robertson said. "They had a very good team, and we knew it. I thought our freshman (Payton Lemons) did a very good job against a great pitcher in Wilson, but we just couldn't get anything going.
"When you get to Game 3, it's risky because everyone is sort of out of pitching and you get what you saw tonight. But we had a heck of a year."
Andalusia took a 7-3 lead into the bottom of the fifth, but Hokes Bluff scored three times to slice the margin to just 7-6 and force Chip Morgan out of the game. However, Gill Morgan got the next two outs and was able to finish the game for the Bulldogs.
Davis and Landon Johnson each had two hits for Hokes Bluff. McGinnis drove in two runs.
Did you know? Andalusia went 10-1 in the playoffs and won 21 of their last 22 games overall.
Did you know, part 2? Andalusia had not won a state title in any sport since the boys golf team won in 2006.
History lesson: Hokes Bluff was denied its 10th state baseball title. The Eagles won three straight from 1975-1977 and six straight from 2003-2008.
Stat sheet: The two teams combined for just seven hits in the first game Wednesday. … The nightcap included 15 walks, five wild pitches and four hit batters.
Coachspeak: "This team deserves this, this community deserves this and especially these seniors deserve it." – Dent.
They said it: "You can't compare this feeling, especially with these guys. They refer to us as the gang, but it's all out of love. It's just a special feeling." – Hogan.
“I knew if I put the ball in the strike zone, my defense would make the plays behind me and they did that,” – Gill Morgan.
“I’m going to drive the bus home tonight and I probably won’t sleep much, but the sun will come out tomorrow. I’m still really proud of this team. It’s been great to see them work hard and to have success. These guys make coaching fun.” -- Robertson.