SPRING UPDATE: PCA weathers tough day for series win over MA; Trinity soccer records shut out
Parker Blake slides into the plate ahead of the throw to Thomas Woodward in PCA’s win over Montgomery Academy on Monday. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
PRATTVILLE -- Prattville Christian Academy coach Tommy Goodson had mixed emotions as his Panthers prepared to play Montgomery Academy in the second game of a three-game series at PCA on Monday.
PCA won the first game, suspended in a scoreless tie after seven innings on Friday, with three runs in the top of the ninth for a 3-0 victory at Bowman Field before the two teams packed up their bats and balls and headed north to Prattville.
“It meant a lot for us,” said Goodson, whose team snapped a seven-game losing streak in the process. “We stopped them in the eighth, then we scored three runs and shut them down.”
But on the return trip to Prattville, the PCA bus broke down on the exit ramp of the interstate, starting a series of issues for the Panthers that culminated with starting shortstop Tanner Byrd’s ejection for running over Montgomery Academy catcher Parker Cook in the second inning.
“Our shortstop got ejected, my second baseman is sick, my right fielder tells me he can’t play, so I’m down three guys and now I’ve got eighth graders out there,” he said. “But the next man stepped up and did his job and we had two guys that threw it hard and threw it by them and got outs.”
PCA, aided by six walks, two hit batters and three errors, put together 10 hits against five Montgomery Academy pitchers to win the second game 14-4 in a game halted in the fifth inning by the 10-run mercy rule.
The win pulled PCA (12-10) even in the 3A Area 6 race at 2-2 heading into Thursday’s series with Trinity (4-0). A sweep of the three-game series could give the Panthers the area title.
“That’s the good thing about it, we still have something on the line,” Goodson said. “Now we’ve got a good reason to keep fighting.”
Montgomery Academy (7-11-1) won the final game of the series 5-0, a game that serves as a tiebreaker should MA sweep Catholic in this weekend’s series and Trinity sweep PCA, leaving MA, PCA and Catholic all tied for second place in the area at 2-4.
The first game of the area series, suspended from Friday, lasted just two innings as the Panthers scored three runs in the top of the ninth. Cole Houston doubled, Byrd walked, Jackson Reed tripled in both runners and scored on a Edrick Yelder sacrifice fly. Reed, meanwhile, struck out four of the six batters he retired.
When the series shifted to Prattville, Reed took the mound again and went three innings before running into control issues. He followed a bases-loaded walk to Parker Cook by hitting Judson Lindsey, allowing MA to cut the deficit to 4-3.
In the bottom half of the inning, PCA scored nine unearned runs off of four MA pitchers as three walks, a throwing error on a bunt and a pair of wild pitches plated the first three runs. Another error allowed two runs to score, followed by an RBI single from James Chancey and a two-run double by Taylor Lowe that put the Panthers back in command 13-3.
The Eagles would score a run in the fifth as Rick McBride reached on an error and later scored, but PCA ended the game in the bottom half of the inning as Chancey walked, Yelder singled and Lowe doubled to the wall to score Chancey and end the game.
GIRLS SOCCER
Trinity 12, New Brockton 0
Mary Davis Bricken scored three goals to help the Wildcats remain unbeaten in area play with a 12-0 win over New Brockton on Monday night.
Healey Mathison, Jillian Miller and Lilly Schroll each scored two goals for Trinity (11-3-1), which improved to 5-0 in area play. Bentley Moore, Emilyn Etheredge and Hastings Avant each added a goal. Ella Kate Osmer and Mary Alice Sasser each contributed three assists in the win, while Bricken, Etheredge, Cate Stewart and Moore each had an assist.
Mary Collin McDuffee recorded the shutout for the Wildcats.
Montgomery Academy 10, BTW Magnet 0
The Eagles stretched their unbeaten streak to 14 games with an easy area victory over BTW Magnet on Monday.
Hannah Dunning had three goals, Mary Elizabeth Cole scored two and Valentina Rubio, Haley Cox, Kaitlin Phenix, Arden Horne and Hayes Jenkins each scored a goal.
“I enjoyed our performance today,” MA coach Joe White said. “We were able to rotate the team a little bit and our flow wasn’t disrupted. This shows the depth that we have. I’m looking forward to another tough game to decide the area title tomorrow night vs. Saint James.”
Prattville Christian 3, Chilton County 1
PRATTVILLE -- Kathleen Cary scored all three of the Lady Panthers’ goals as PCA defeated 6A Chilton County on Monday at Panther Stadium.
PCA (5-3-1) will travel to Montgomery to play Catholic on Friday.
BOYS SOCCER
Prattville Christian 9, Chilton County 2
PRATTVILLE -- Matthew Lisle scored five goals to lead the Panthers to an easy win over 6A Chilton County on Monday at Panther Stadium.
Jake Davis added three goals and an assist, while Trey Barkley had four assists and a goal and Carson Roberson, Brady Roberson, Cohen Palmore and Josh Forte each had an assist.
PCA (5-5) will travel to play Autaugaville on Tuesday.
SOFTBALL
Trinity 15, Brew Tech JV 12
Marley Sharpless pitched five innings, allowing four earned runs and walking two batters, to help the Wildcats outlast the Rams’ junior varsity team 15-12 on Monday.
Lilly Yancey came on in relief of Sharpless in the seventh inning to get the save.
At the plate, Mary Kathryn Adcock was 3 for 3, scoring two runs and driving in another, Linda Hill was 3 for 4 with three runs scored and two RBIs, Yancey was 2 for 3 with an RBI while scoring twice, Emma Rose Meldrum was 3 for 4 with an RBI while scoring twice and Ashton Dickey recorded her first hit as a Trinity Wildcat.
The Lady Wildcats return to action on Tuesday for Senior Day against the Reeltown Rebels at 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Montgomery Academy 3, Brookstone School 2
COLUMBUS, Ga. -- The Eagles won a hard-fought battle with Brookstone on Monday in a tuneup for the sectionals, winning two of the three singles’ matches and fighting to a draw in a pair of doubles matches.
The last time the two teams faced each other, in 2019, Brookstone had won 8-1 so Monday’s win was a huge confidence booster for the Eagles.
In singles, Gabby Barrera defeated Wyn Mayher 6-3, 1-6, 11-9 at No. 1 and Kareena Singh edged Jordan Brown 7-5, 6-0 at No. 3, while Brookstone’s Mattie Albright defeated McRae Freeman at No. 2.
In doubles, the No. 1 duo of Jenna Chandler and MaeMae Voltz defeated Maria Eckstein and Marianna Branch, while the No. 3 Brookstone squad of Ella Arnold and Susan Middlebrooks beat Cate Peeples and MaryLee Kelso.
The Eagles return to action on Wednesday in the 6A Section 2 match at O’Connor.