By BRIANA DIGIORGIO / For the Reporter

GULF SHORES – The Vincent baseball team drove to the salt-water city of Gulf Shores for the 2015 Gulf Coast Classic Baseball Tournament on March 30.

The first game of the tournament was against Haleyville. Vincent was unable to keep up with the Lions’ prodigious scoring pace, and lost the game 11-1. Austin Whitfield sent a ball out to left field for the Jackets in the fifth inning, which hopped over the wall and resulted in a ground-rule double. The hit scored Kade Carroll, who had been on first base before Whitfield’s double, to plate Vincent’s only run of the contest. Vincent fell short to Haleyville by a score of 11-1.

“We played an excellent Haleyville team and we battled our tails off,” Vincent head coach Cory Williams said after the game. “A couple things could have gone differently but they’re just a solid ball team.”

The Jackets then traveled to Sims Park on March 31 for a double-header against Westbrook and Cottage Hill. Vincent went one for two in Tuesday’s double-header, resulting in a win against Westbrook and a loss against Cottage Hill.

Whitfield scored the only two runs of the Westbrook contest, which Vincent won 2-0. The Jackets then took a tough loss to Cottage Hill with a final result of 6-2. Whitfield and Jordan Smith scored the two runs in the second contest.

“We came in against Westbrook and played lights out baseball,” Williams explained. “Westbrook’s a very good team and we battled and ended up getting the victory. As far as Cottage Hill, another good ball team. They did a good job at putting pressure on us and we didn’t handle the pressure well and that was the outcome of the game.”

Game three also took place at Sims Park on April 1, where the Jackets took on Trinity Christian Academy. The Wildcats defeated the Jackets by a final of 5-1. Matthew Swift scored the only run of the day for Vincent in the losing effort.

After the tournament, Vincent’s record moved to 13-11.