Patriots eye playoffs in senior night win over Madison Academy
Madison- The Bob Jones baseball team now knows who their first-round opponent will be in the playoffs that start next Friday night. Sparkman clinched the runner-up position in Class 6A, area 16 with a win over Hazel Green on Thursday. It will be a rematch of last year’s first round playoff series won by Bob Jones.
But first order of business for the Patriots is a weekend series with cross town rival Madison Academy that got underway Friday night with a lackluster 2-0 win by Bob Jones.
Even pitching ace Trey Wingenter seemed to struggle keeping his focus on the Mustangs.
Wingenter needed 22 pitches to get through the first inning but he settled down after that and pitched his second no-hitter in a row as he went 6 innings. He struck out 14 batters en route to his ninth win against no losses. Austin May worked a scoreless seventh inning for his seventh save.
“Felt pretty good out there tonight,” said Wingenter who was one of 10 seniors honored before the game.
The seniors have been waiting a year to get back into playoff baseball after getting knocked out by Huntsville last year. That won’t happen this year as Huntsville did not make the playoffs.
“We’re excited, we’ve been waiting for this,” Wingenter said of the approaching playoffs. “That is who we wanted to play and I’m going to be ready to go. Everybody that made the playoffs has got a chance and you got to play your best or you’re going home.”
Bob Jones got some good news and some bad news on the injury front. Outfielder Austin Sanders finally got back in the lineup after missing the entire season with a broken bone in his foot. He sustained the injury in the first game of the season. Playing designated hitter, Sanders came back with a bang as he doubled home a run in the fourth inning.
However his younger brother Matt Sanders, who had been the everyday catcher, will miss the playoffs with an injury.
Sanders’ absence could be significant because he was third on the team with 25 RBI’s. Collin Dupree, who had seen spot duty behind the plate this season, will move into the starting lineup now.
Bob Jones head baseball Coach Jeff Bell knows Sparkman has plenty of hitters that can get hot in a short series. One of the Senators top players is catcher Daniel Garner, a Mississippi State signee. Garner also pitches.
‘We have high expectations but we’ve got our work cut out for us,” Bell said. He added that Sparkman is playing the best baseball they have played all year. “They are swinging the bats real well, playing great defense, and getting great pitching. We are going to have to play really well to have a chance this weekend.”
Landon Ray and Austin Sexton are Sparkman’s top two pitchers. Sexton, a junior right hander, is already committed to Mississippi State.
“I think the key to the series is going to be pitching and defense,” Bell said.
If that is the case Bell should be well armed with two aces of his own. Wingenter and Charlie Weaver have been unbeatable all season. Wingenter is 9-0 with an Earned Run Average of 0.15 and Weaver is 8-0 with an ERA of 0.69.
“We will have them ready. I won’t have to do anything to get them juiced up for this weekend,” Bell said.
Both are seniors who know the disappointment of getting knocked out of the playoffs before making the AHSAA Baseball Championships in Montgomery.
“This group is real athletic, real intelligent, just some great players that play the game like its supposed to be played,” said Bell whose team racked up a school tying record win number 31 with the 2-0 victory over Madison Academy on Friday night.
The win runs the Patriots record to 31-5. The two teams will play again Saturday afternoon at 11 a.m. at which time Bob Jones can set a new record for wins in a season.
