Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor 

COLLINSVILLE – On the road for the second round in a row to open the 2023 postseason, the Vincent Yellow Jackets once again had no issues on Friday, April 28, sweeping Collinsville to advance to the quarterfinals of the Class 2A playoffs.

The Yellow Jackets, who won 9-2 and 5-1 in an opening-round sweep of Lexington, looked even more the part of a possible championship contender in round two after pulling off a sweep with wins of 10-1 and 15-5.

Even with the dominant effort, game one didn’t come without some fireworks in a thrilling battle up until the final inning.

Following three scoreless innings in a row, Vincent finally cracked into the score column in the top of the fourth with two runs for a 2-0 advantage.

That lead held for a while with Collinsville not scoring through the first five innings of play, but they eventually trimmed the deficit to one run with a run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 2-1 going to the final inning.

Vincent, however, saved its best for last.

The Jackets scored eight runs in the top of the seventh to take it from a one-run game to putting it out of reach in what became the 10-1 win.

Casen Fields led Vincent in hits with three, while Grayson Gulde led the team with four RBIs on two hits. Easton Fields, Zack Wright and Ethan McElrath added one hit and two RBIs each, while Camden Cobb finished with two doubles.

Zac Carlisle and Aiden Poe both had a hit as well, while Poe picked up the complete-game win on the mound. He struck out eight and gave up five hits and one earned run with no walks.

Similarly, game two was closer than the final score indicated early, as Collinsville jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Vincent, however, had a quick answer.

The Yellow Jackets scored six in the home half to quickly snatch the lead away. That became part of a big first four innings that saw Vincent score one in the second, four more in the third and three more in the fourth to take a 14-4 lead.

Collinsville could only answer with one in the top of the fifth, while the Jackets finished the game off with one in the sixth to complete the 10-run rule win.

Cobb led the way with a 4-for-4 game featuring two RBIs, while Gulde added four RBIs on two hits. Casen Fields finished with two hits and two RBIs, while Easton Fields added two RBIs on one hit.

Carlisle finished with a double and a home run with one RBI, while poe finished with a hit and two RBIs.

Casen Fields picked up the win on the mound, striking out four and giving up just one run on five hits and a walk.

Vincent has now won 17 of the last 18 games and will take on Whitesburg, who also has back-to-back sweeps, in the quarterfinals of the 2A playoffs.