COUNTY CHAMPS

SARDIS CITY — Fresh off an emotional win over Southside in the semifinals of the 2019 Etowah County baseball tournament, Sardis jumped out to a quick lead over Hokes Bluff in the finals.

The Lions (9-7) defeated the Panthers 10-9 in 10 innings, then went ahead 2-0 in the top half of the first inning on a Connor Morris double.

It was all down hill from that moment on.

Hokes Bluff (14-2) went on to score 21 unanswered runs while allowing no more runs in a five-inning win to claim its second consecutive Etowah County baseball championship Saturday at Sardis.

Carson Eubanks started with a leadoff triple at the plate for Hokes Bluff, just as he did in the Eagles’ 17-1 semifinal win earlier in the day. He scored on a wild pitch for the first Hokes Bluff run.

The Eagles took the 3-2 lead on a Hunter Burke single and ended up scoring five more runs in the first for an 8-2 lead.

Hokes Bluff scored seven runs in the second inning and six more in the third. When the Eagles weren’t squaring up the ball, the Lions were making errors in the field. Sardis ended up committing nine errors.

Hokes Bluff totaled 15 hits. Burke was 4-for-4 with six RBI. Dylan Teague, Houston Edwards and Drake Rainey each had two hits and two RBI. Jackson Fielding had one hit and two RBI. Clay Rainey tallied two RBI. Payton Lemons had one hit and one RBI while Caleb McGinnis added two hits.

Teague earned the win in two innings. He gave up three hits, two runs, struck out four and walked one. Lemons (two innings, five strikeouts, one walk) and Edwards (one inning, two strikeouts, one walk) both pitched in relief.

Luke Morris, Trey Hubbard and Connor Morris all had one hit. Connor Morris had two RBI. Braxton Brooks started the game for Sardis and Brayden Bridges, Luke Morris, Peyton Wehrwein and Justin Golden all pitched in relief.

SEMIFINALS

Sardis 10, Southside 9 (10 innings)

In his first game back from injury, Chase Williams hit an infield single with the bases loaded to score the game-winning run to lift Sardis to the county finals.

The Lions tied the Panthers (16-11) at 8 in the bottom of the seventh inning two outs after Tyler Goosby’s double scored two runs.

Sardis again tied the game in the eighth inning on a dropped third strike. Luke Morris reached base on the wild pitch and Brooks scored from third.

Luke Morris had three hits and three RBI for the Lions. Brooks, Williams and Connor Morris all had three hits. Connor Morris added two RBI while Williams had one RBI.

Jacob Little led Southside with two hits. Tyler Roberts had one hit and two RBI.

Hokes Bluff 17, West End 1 (5 innings)

Hokes Bluff already led 7-1 through two innings and added seven more runs in the third to break the game open against West End.

The backbreaker for the Patriots (7-4) seemed to be Drake Rainey’s grand slam in the second inning to put the Eagles up six runs.

Rainey had three hits and five RBI for Hokes Bluff. Burke totaled three hits and two RBI. Teague finished with two hits and two RBI. Eubanks added three hits.

Caleb McGinnis earned the win in four innings. He allowed two hits, one run, struck out three and walked one. Rainey pitched the final inning in relief.

Levi Armstrong had West End’s only two hits of the game along with one RBI.