The comeback kids; Bob Jones wins playoff series to advance

MADISON- Bob Jones players didn’t listen to the talk about how they were facing one of the top pitchers in the state in the deciding game of the first round of the Class 7A playoffs Saturday.

They stayed with the game plan put in place by their coach Jared Smith. The result was a 12-5 comeback win and the school’s first playoff series win since 2013.

Jackson Kimbrell, an Ole Miss commit, used off speed and slow curves to shut out Bob Jones the first three innings but the batters started to catch on in the fourth.

“We tried to stay patient and runup his pitch count,” Smith said. “We knew they didn’t have confidence in their bullpen so we tried to get to the next guy. We bunted, we stole, we hit and run and we even stole home the first time we have done that all year. It took everybody to win this game. It was one of the best games I’ve ever been a part of. Our guys battled back. I’ve never been prouder of a team,” Smith said.

Bob Jones starter Brendan Bickleman ran into trouble early and gave up three runs in the second before Smith pulled him and sent in Austin East.

“We felt good about hard throwing right handers today because Rose and Riley struck them out fourteen times last night and they hit Cam Hill our lefty. He (Bickleman) just didn’t throw enough strikes. He walked a few guys then he misplayed a ball back to the mound and the wheels were kind of falling off.  We knew we were going to East when we got in trouble. I waited a little too long,” Smith said.

Trailing 5-0 the Patriots bats came to life in the fourth urged on by the big crowd both in the stands and ringing the outfield.

Slate Alford started it with a single. Then an error by the second baseman put two runners on. John Michael Riley knocked in Alford for the first run. Stuart Edge followed with an RBI single. After Ryan Crawford walked, Caden Rose smacked an RBI single.

Kimbrell, now struggling with his control, walked Mitch Daly to force in a run. After a visit from his coach, Kimbrell went to his fastball clocked at 87 but Dylan Ray was ready and drove a pitch down the left field line to the wall scoring two and putting Bob Jones up 6-5.

Sensing Kimbrell was faltering and with two outs and Mitch Daly on third Smith wanted more and sent Daly home at first movement of the pitcher’s windup.

Kimbrell delivers to Caden Rose

“I thought it was the right time to keep the momentum going. The hitter before I told Mitch to be ready. Even if it had been a strike he would have scored,” Smith said. “He got nervous and Mitch was three fourths down the line and nobody said anything,” Smith said of Kimbrell on the steal of home.

In all Kimbrell threw 50 pitches and Bob Jones sent 13 batters to the plate and scored 8 runs in the fourth.

Hunter Hall relieved for Oak Mountain in the fifth and Riley hit a double to the gap in left center. He later scored on a throwing error. In the sixth Bob Jones was still playing like it was a one run game as Rose bunted two runners over and Edge hit a sacrifice fly for the final run.

Meanwhile, Austin East pitched a perfect inning in the sixth and Oak Mountain had nothing left and went quietly in the seventh.

Bob Jones had defeated the second ranked team in 7A.

Bob Jones will now travel to Huntsville for a three-game series. Huntsville swept Vestavia Hills.

“Huntsville is one of the hottest teams in the state,” Smith said.  “It is Coach (David) Sharp’s last season so they are playing with a lot of emotion and energy and they have won I think 14 games in a row. We need all our fans to make the short drive next Friday. We got to match Huntsville’s crowd”