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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

The Thompson Warriors kept their winning ways going in the East Alabama Classic on Saturday, March 9, topping the Hazel Green Trojans before downing one of the top teams in the state, the Bob Jones Patriots.

The victories extended the Warriors’ win streak to four games in a row as they improved to 12-5 overall.

First, Thompson faced a team very familiar to coach Frankie Perez: Hazel Green, where he won a state championship in his first season as a head coach in 2018.

The Warriors started the game on the right foot with an RBI single by Peryn Bland after an error and a walk to start the game, putting them up 1-0.

That score held until the top of the third when back-to-back walks and an error loaded up the bases before a fly out helped the Trojans tie the game 1-1.

With two on and two out in the bottom of the fourth, an error allowed Ethan Crook to reach base and Tucker Arrington to score and reclaim a one-run lead for Thompson.

After a Drake McBride single and Wyatt Williams double to lead off the bottom of the fifth, Ma’Kale Holden hit into a sacrifice fly to make the lead 3-1.

However, Hazel Green responded and put the pressure back on the Warriors with a two-run single in the top of the sixth, tying the game up 3-3.

A leadoff double by D’Marion Terrell set up Crook to hit an RBI single to claim a 4-3 lead. Bland then hit a single to put two runners on for McBride, who hit a three-run home run to finish off the 7-3 win.

In the second game of the day, Thompson survived an early lead from Bob Jones to score nine runs in two innings and take a victory over one of the top teams in Class 7A.

The Patriots took a two-run lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI single and bases-loaded walk.

That lead became 3-0 in the following inning with an RBI single following a one-out triple, putting the Warriors in an early hole.

However, a pair of singles put Thompson with a pair of runners in scoring position with two outs in the top of the fourth.

Williams hit a two-run single to cut the deficit to one and keep the inning alive.

Bob Jones gave up a walk on the next at-bat and a single loaded up the bases on the next at-bat for Alex Jones. Jones then scored a pair of runs off a single, and an error in the same at-bat gave the Warriors a 5-3 lead.

The bases loaded up again in the top of the fifth with one out, and Williams increased the lead to six in the top of the fifth with a grand slam.

Thompson then finished its scoring in the ensuing inning with a two-out RBI single by Bland, making the score 10-3.

Bob Jones clawed back a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run and a balk, but it couldn’t get closer than that and the Warriors finished off the 10-5 win.

Terrell took the win while pitching for five innings, taking a pair of strikeouts in the process. Ian Hillary also took three strikeouts across two innings of work.

Thompson will hit the road once again for a county matchup against Calera on Tuesday, March 12 at 7 p.m.