Florala finishes the season with round two against the second-ranked Billingsley

In a top five matchup, Florala dropped two games against Billingsley in the second round of the 1A State playoff game that took place on Friday on April 28.

Second-ranked Bears improved their season record to 20-3 by winning the sweep, and advanced to the third round as the 4th-ranked Wildcats ended the year with 14-4.

Game 1

Mason Truesdale earned two strikeouts and struck out the team in order after twelve pitches at the middle of the second. Shane Shirah and Kyle Bolce opened the second half of the home game with back-to-back singles. Both runners jumped into scoring position without a hit. Dalton Jackson then struck out Landon Jones and Nathan Gilmore and held the game scoreless by executing the flyout. Seth Bundy and Wyatt Brooks were able to walk into the second before Truesdale stopped the threat by striking out. Jason Smith opened the bottom of the inning by stepping up to the plate and two plays capped off the game.

Jaden Seago started the third inning with an infield hit, but was removed by John Howell hit into a fielder’s choice. Jackson hit an out-and-back RBI double that added Howell in the third as FHS gained a 1-0 advantage. Gilmore struck a double that scored two runs to give the team a 2-1 advantage after three innings. Brooks along with Jacob Lara reached on consecutive walks in the middle of the fourth inning, but failed to advance after two strikeouts in succession. BHS hit 14 hits in the final of the innings. Shirah hit a walk with the bases loaded. Boice as well as Jones each hit two-run singles to give the team an 8-1 lead. Two errors in two outs gave the team the score being nine runs unearned and 16-1 advantage in the fourth inning.

Howell and Jackson hit singles in the fifth and put runners on first and second after one out. Truesdale recorded two strikeouts, and finished the first game.

Jackson hit 2-for-3 and scored an RBI and an RBI, while Seago was a one-for-2 and Howell ended up going 1-for-3 with the score of a run. Jackson permitted nine runs (five scored) through five hit, and five strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings.

Game 2

Following the game’s opening with two groundouts Jones went for a walk, but was taken off and was able to finish the beginning of the second. Jackson struck a double with two outs in the final frame of the game. Bundy provided the Wildcats an early lead of 1-0 by hitting an RBI single. Boice ended the game by striking out before they scored three runs in the second. Bears added three more runs to their score in the 2nd.

Hudson Manning drew a bases-loaded walk. He tied the score at 1-1, before Marshall Headley hit a two-run single that brought home Jason Smith and Turner Motley. Howell kept the score at 3-1 by striking out and then a flyout. Boice was 1-2-3 in the at the bottom of the second inning, with two strikeouts. After a scoreless 3rd, Smith stroked a two-out single in the fourth inning’s top but that was all Billingsley had. Jackson reduced the deficit of Florala to 3-2 by hitting a colossal home run in the back part of the frame. Bundy made an error, but Lara was able to walk. Boice saved the one-run cushion by executing an out and a groundout, and took the game to the fifth.

Howell was able to get two walks in the fifth inning, which was scoreless, and pitched a one-out single in the bottom of the inning. The inning was brought to a end by a double play, but three insurance runs were scored in the sixth inning and extended the lead to the score of 6-2. Brooks was able to walk two outs in the second half of the home inning before a strikeout completed the game. Smith scored a run on the sacrifice fly of Headley at the 7th inning for the final 7-2 score. Dawson Reeves had a single in the home section before a groundout concluded the game.

Jackson completed his game 2-for-3, with two RBI as well as two RBI. Reeves had a 1-for-1 performance, and Bundy was 1-for-3 and an RBI. Howell permitted three run on just three pitches, and struck out four times in five innings. Judd Goolsby allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits, and struck out two batters in 2 innings in relief.

The article Florala ends the season round two against second-ranked Billingsley was first published at The Andalusia Star-News.