FRIDAY PREPS: Saraland handles Prattville in FCA opener; Brewbaker Tech wins twice
Brian Pittman and the Prattville High softball team dropped a 3-1 decision to Saraland on the opening day of the FCA Alex Wilcox Memorial Softball Tournament at Lagoon Park on Friday. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
It’s a recurring theme, Prattville High softball coach Brian Pittman observed, and he’s trying to be patient as he waits for his team’s offense to arrive.
The first-year coach saw it again in the opening round of the FCA Alex Wilcox Memorial Softball Tournament at Lagoon Park on Friday afternoon. For the fifth time this season, Prattville scored just one run. For the fourth time, it wasn’t enough.
Kylie Jarman’s pitching shut out Saraland for four innings and Jarman’s RBI single drove in the Lions’ only run but it didn’t hold up as a fielding error, a base hit and a pair of mental errors by the Lions allowed Saraland to score three runs in the fifth for a 3-1 win.
“We’ve been that way all year offensively, not as good as we’re capable,” Pittman said. “We’re just swinging at stuff to get ourselves out. That game, we should have been able to get more than one run. We only gave up four hits and only two of them left the infield. It’s not fair to our pitchers. They’re doing a great job. Overall, defensively, we’re good but you get one bad situation and it can cost you the game and that’s what happened.”
Prattville (9-8) lost for the third consecutive time and has just two runs in those three games. Overall, the Lions lost early in the year to Vestavia Hills 6-2 but scored just a run (four times) or was shut out (three times) in every other loss, leaving pitchers like Jarman with no room for error.
“At some point, the hitters have to take accountability a little more,” Pittman said, “and we’ve got to do a better job in situations of not swinging at pitches that are not strikes.”
Despite the loss, Prattville can earn its way into the championship bracket with a win over Charles Henderson on Saturday morning. Central-Phenix City and Brewbaker Tech posted a pair of wins on Friday and will await their placement in the 12-team Gold Bracket at noon on Saturday.
The 7A Red Devils defeated Catholic 6-0 and Alabama Christian 13-1 to take first place in Pool C and will be joined by the winner of Saturday’s Catholic-ACA matchup. Brew Tech rallied to beat Brantley 7-5, then thumped Spring Garden 16-0 to take first place in Pool B and will be joined by the winner of Saturday’s Brantley-Spring Garden matchup.
The remaining four pools will be decided by Saturday games at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. before the top two teams in each pool are placed in the Gold Bracket. The remaining eight teams will be placed in the Silver Bracket. Both brackets are single-elimination format that starts at noon, with the Silver Bracket championship set for 4:30 p.m. and the Gold Bracket championship scheduled for 6 p.m.
BASEBALL
Montgomery Academy 14, Luverne 4
Judson Lindsey continued his torrid hitting pace on Friday, going 3 for 3 with a pair of RBIs to lead the Eagles to a 14-4 win at Bowen Field over Luverne shortened to five innings by the mercy rule.
Lindsey is now 11 for 11 over his last five games and is batting .778 this season.
Parker Cook added a two-run home run and Walton Norrell was 2 for 3 with an RBI. Bray Renfroe was 2 for 4 for the Eagles as well.
Lindsey also picked up the win on the mound, surrendering just three hits and one earned run while striking out five in three innings of work. Cook pitched the fourth and fifth innings, allowing one hit and three runs while striking out three.
Montgomery Academy (6-3) remains home to play St. James on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Catholic 12, Brew Tech 1
Catholic spotted the Rams a first-inning run, then scored five of its own in the first and third innings to finish off Brew Tech 12-1 in a Friday game shortened by the 10-run mercy rule.
Alex Wieser went 3 for 3, scored three times and drove in four runs with a double and a home run to highlight the 11-hit attack. Pat Ryan went 2 for 3 with a double and drove in three runs and Kam Miller went 1 for 3 with a two-run home run. Brody Hudson went 2 for 2, including a solo home run, and scored twice while Alex Fleet went 2 for 2 with a double, scoring once and driving in a run.
Hudson Parrish picked up the win on the mound, allowing a pair of hits and a run in three innings of work while walking two and striking out four. Ryan pitched the final two innings, striking out four while not allowing a hit nor a walk.
Catholic plays at LAMP on Saturday.
Macon East Academy 8, Monroe Academy 3
MONROEVILLE -- The Knights avenged their only loss to an in-state school on Friday as Bryant Rascoll and Deonte Powell silenced Clarke Prep’s bats in an 8-3 win in the opening round of the Monroe Academy Tournament on Friday.
Rascoll picked up the win, surrendering just three hits and no earned runs while striking out three and walking one in four innings of work. Powell pitched the remaining two innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out one.
The Knights made the most of their five hits as Hunter Timmerman went 1 for 2 and drove in a pair of runs and Jabe Boroff went 1 for 2 and drove in a run. Luke Noffsinger went 1 for 1 with a pair of walks and a stolen base and Dalton Nickles and Powell each went 1 for 3.
FCA Alex Wilcox Memorial Softball Tournament
Lagoon Park Softball Complex
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
Saraland 3, Prattville 1
Brew Tech 7, Brantley 5
Central-PC 6, Catholic 0
Luverne 10, Andalusia 5
Beauregard 12, Valley 3
Opp 17, Highland Home 0
Charles Henderson 19, Jemison 4
Brew Tech 16, Spring Garden 0
Central-PC 13, Alabama Christian 1
Andalusia 3, Tuscaloosa County 2
Spanish Fort 3, Marbury 1
Austin 2, Opp 0
SATURDAY
Jemison vs. Saraland, 9 a.m.
Brantley vs. Spring Garden, 9 a.m.
Catholic vs. ACA, 9 a.m.
Tuscaloosa County vs. Luverne, 9 a.m.
Beauregard vs. Marbury, 9 a.m.
Prattville vs. Charles Henderson, 10:30 a.m.
Austin vs. Highland Home, 10:30 a.m.
Spanish Fort vs. Valley, 10:30 a.m.
Gold bracket quarterfinals, noon, 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m.
Silver bracket quarterfinals, noon, 1:30 p.m.
Silver bracket semifinals, 3 p.m.
Silver bracket finals, 4:30 p.m.
Gold bracket semifinals, 4:30 p.m.
Gold bracket finals, 6 p.m.