Straughn fails to match Excel in a home-area game

Excel made the most of two defensive errors and scored two unearned runs to earn the win of 4-1 against Straughn in Varsity baseball action on Tuesday 11 April.

The Panthers increased their overall record to 12-3 and 6-0 in 3A Zone 2 and the Tigers fell from 10-9 to 4-2 in the competition in the area.

Clark Gay used only six pitches to get an easy 1-2-3 in the top off the top of the 1st. Saxby Radford was able to score on a mistake in the lower of the inning however Will Taylor recorded a pop-up and struck out the following two batters. Eason Pipkin walked, and took second after one strike after the twond. Jacob Gandy followed with a single in the middle, as Pipkin was hit at the plate. Jaxson Smith was walked, and Emory Melvin made a great catch in left field to score the third strike. Gay began the home portion of the game with one hit until the strikeout and a double play was the final play of the frame.

EHS was the first to draw blood, by scoring two runners in the final. Kolby Peavy scored the sacrifice fly that hit to home Koleman Wiggins. Cade Barnett reached on an mistake that caused Will Thomas to the plate. Gay hit off Jacob Gandy for the final out. Thomas was able to retire SHS in 10 pitches. He kept the score at 2-0 in the third inning. Smith was walked leadoff in the fourth when the courtesy runners Kolby Sirmon was caught taking second. Zaylon McMillian, and Wiggins then followed with singles, but they were left stranded. Eli Guilford had a single and Gay was able to score a free-pass. Taylor was able to stop the rally off with an innings-ending double play.

Peavy and Barnett both singled, putting runners on the corners, with one out in the fifth inning’s top. Gandy got Peavy and extended the lead to three. Taylor Sikes led off the lower half of the inning by walking and reduced short the lead to 3-2 after Guilford took advantage of a bases-loaded walk. There was no scoring in the sixth innings.

The Panthers added an insurance hit within the seventh. Thomas began the game with a single before coming home via the RBI pitch by Pipkin to give the Panthers a 4-1 lead. Houston Smith ended the visiting half by executing an out flyout. Layne Grantham had a four-pitch walk that was later followed by a single from Radford. Taylor kept his Tigers off the scoreboard and caused the game-ending double play.

Grantham, Sikes, and Gay all went 2-for-2 on the field for SHS Sikes, Grantham, and Gay each went 1-for-2 at the plate for SHS. Guilford and Radford were each a perfect 3-for-3. Gay permitted 4 hits (two scored) in eight hit, and three strikeouts in six 1/3 innings. Wiggins and Thomas led EHS by going 2-for-4.

The two teams ended the series on April 14 in which Straughn played at Excel and lost 15-5 over five innings. The Tigers are scheduled to travel for the opening round of playoffs for the state championship this week.

The article Straughn is unable to overcome Excel in a home game was first published at The Andalusia Star-News.