Mustangs seek baseball 3-peat

By MIKE EASTERLING / For the Record

HUNTSVILLE – A generation later, the Madison Academy baseball team has a chance to gloss over one of the more infamous moments in its high school sports history.

Madison Academy’s Trey Owens had two hits and scored three times in a 4-2, 11-0 sweep of Winfield in the Class 3A baseball quarterfinals last weekend. CONTRIBUTED

In 1999, the Mustangs traveled to Rainbow City and defeated Westbrook Christian in the finale of a best-of-three series to earn a spot in the Class 1A playoff final.

But while Madison Academy prepared for its second trip to the championship series – the school lost to Maplesville in two games in its only previous final appearance – the Mustangs were disqualified for a pitching violation committed against the Warriors.

Seventeen years later, two-time defending state champion Madison Academy (31-15), with different coaches and players who were born around the time of that fateful season, returns to Westbrook (26-10) for the Class 3A semifinals.

“I feel comfortable, probably because I know we can get better in a couple of areas,’’ Madison Academy coach Mike Good said. “Anytime you have that you can keep the kids focused and working hard. At this time of year, you worry about the kids getting complacent at practice.’’

The series begins Thursday with games set for 5 and 7 p.m. If necessary, a third game will be Friday at 5 p.m.

The Mustangs advanced with a 4-2, 11-0 sweep of Winfield. Jake Christa got the win in the opener and Sam King threw a one-hitter over five innings in the second game. James Nix and Trey Owens had two singles and three runs scored, and Lucas Mordecai added two singles, two RBIs and two runs scored.