By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

March 29

Pelham hammers Montgomery Central

After a disappointing opening day of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Classic in which Pelham dropped a pair of games to Moody and Decatur, the Panthers bounced back to beat Montgomery Central (Tenn.) 13-3 on Tuesday. Pelham scored in each of the first six innings, plating three runs in the first and second innings, four in the third, and a single run in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings in the winning effort.

Griffin Rivers went 3-for-5 from the plate with a whopping five RBIs and a pair of triples to lead Pelham from the plate. Kyle Phillips threw a complete six-inning game, giving up three runs on nine hits. Pelham’s 13 runs are the most in a game this season to date.

 

Helena falls to Decatur

Jameson Ling took the mound for Helena against Decatur on Tuesday morning and had a good showing, throwing six innings while giving up just two runs on nine hits. However, Alabama baseball commit Tanner Burns pitched an absolute gem for Decatur, throwing seven innings and giving up just one hit and no runs while striking out six as Helena fell 2-0. Jake Busby was the lone Husky to register a hit on the day, going 1-for-3 with a double he hit in the top of the seventh inning. The Huskies dropped to 1-2 in tournament pool play with the loss.

 

Huskies bounce back, throttle Prattville

Directly after Helena was beaten by Decatur, the Huskies traveled from Shades Mountain Christian School to Hoover High School for their second game of the day with Prattville. The Husky offense, which had stalled against Decatur, came to life against Prattville, as Helena scored eight runs in the first three innings en route to a 10-1 win, which pulled them back to 2-2 in tournament play. Sam Praytor, Robbie Lively and Jake Busby all went 2-for-3 from the plate to lead Helena while Landon Green and Bryant Garrett combined to win the game from the mound.

 

Oak Mountain falls to Decatur

The Bulldogs from Decatur pushed a run across the board in the first inning against Oak Mountain in the Eagles’ only game of the day on Tuesday, and added another run in the fifth inning. The two runs were enough for Decatur to get the win, as Charles Crane held the Eagle bats to just four hits on the day and gave up no runs. Michael Flack pitched a gem himself for Oak Mountain, throwing 72 pitches over six innings while giving up just four hits and two runs, however the two runs were enough to down the Eagles on this day. Gene Hurst went 1-for-2 with a double to lead Oak Mountain from the plate as the Eagles fell to 1-2 in tournament play.

 

Jags stay perfect in tournament

After beating Moody and Austin on the first day of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Classic, the Jaguars strengthened their tournament playoff chances with a convincing 6-2 win over Hartselle in their only game on Tuesday. Will Battersby pitched a complete game for the Jags, throwing 95 pitches over the span of seven innings, giving up five hits and two runs in the process while striking out eight. Bryan Sanderson went a perfect 2-for-2 from the plate and Kevin Hopkins went 2-for-3 to lead Spain Park in the win while Jacob Rich, Hayden Freeman, Drew Hawker and Justin McClure registered a hit as well.