BOB JONES WINS STATE BASEBALL TITLE! Patriots knock off Central-Phenix City to claim their first Class 7A baseball crown

Editor’s note: This is a report from the Alabama High School Athletic Association on yesterday’s state 7A baseball championship win by Bob Jones High School. We are very excited for the team’s hard-earned victory and congratulate them on their first state title. We have reports coming from Caleb Odom and Bob Labbe, plus photos from Andrew Noles. We will share some of those online today. Watch for the photos on our Facebook page later this morning. Be sure to check out the May 22 print edition of The Madison Record for our expanded coverage.

JACKSONVILLE – Bob Jones High School senior shortstop Braden Booth slugged his third home run of the AHSAA Class 7A State Baseball Championship Series in the first inning of the third and final game Wednesday night to snuff out some brief momentum, by Central-Phenix City, and the Red Devils never recovered.

Booth finished the night with two hits in two official at-bats, had two RBIs, walked twice and scored three runs and the Patriots to a 12-5 victory to claim the school’s first-ever state baseball crown.

Bob Jones won Game 1 at Choccolocco Park in Oxford on Tuesday. With the games moving Jacksonville State University’s Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium The first inning of the deciding Game 3 provided plenty of fireworks as Central scored two runs in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead when lead-off batter Emory Yohn opened the game with a single, Landon Beaver reached on an error, and Hunter Wippert singled to plate Yohn. Beaver scored on a sacrifice fly by Sam Brown. The rally was snuffed out when Wippert was tagged out while trying to take third.

In the bottom of the inning, Booth, who was named the Class 7A State Baseball Championship Series MVP, tied the game with his third homer of the championship series – a towering blow to left that scored Jacob Pearl, who drew a lead-off walk. With two runners on and just one out, Central Coach A.J. Kehoe switched pitchers bringing in Jordan Balcum. Central got out the inning with an out at third for the inning’s first out, and a double play to end the inning.

Bob Jones added a third run in the bottom of the second to take a 3-2 lead when Tanner Hermesch walked and scored on a two-out single by Pearl. The Patriots added four runs in the fourth inning and five in the fifth to build a 12-3 lead.

Central got two runs back in the top of the seventh but could get no closer.

Bob Jones (44-9), coached by Jared Smith, had 12 hits in the final game/ Catcher Zack Johnson   had two hits and three RBIs, right fielder Dillon Adkins was 3-for-3 with one RBI.

Patriots pitcher Jack Shaw pitched six innings, allowed seven hits, four runs but only one earned, and struck out five to get the final win. Adkins came in to close out the game in the seventh.

Game 2

Central-Phenix City High School forced Game 3 Wednesday with a 6-3 win over Bob Jones in Game 2. Central took control of Game 2, scoring three runs in the top of the third inning to erase a 1-0 Patriots lead.

The big hit in the third frame was a triple by Landon Beaver to drive in two runs.

Bob Jones scored one run in the bottom of the first inning when Braden Booth singled and scored on a hit by catcher Zack Johnson.

The Patriots picked up another run in the bottom of the third – cutting Central’s lead to 3-2 with Booth singling and scoring on an RBI-hit by Dillon Adkins.

The Red Devils, coached by A.J. Kehoe, brought two more runs across in the top of the sixth inning when Beaver singled, stole second and scored on a single by Hunter Wippert, who moved into scoring position on an error. He scored from third on a sacrifice fly by Chris Kelly.

Central stretched its lead to 6-2 in the top of the seventh Cooper Kehoe singled. Pinch runner Collin Freilberg was inserted and came around to score on a single to right field by Cason Page.

In the bottom of the seventh, Booth slugged a towering solo homer over the leftfield fence off Red Devils reliever Brody Stamp to close out the scoring. He had three hits for Bob Jones, and Myles Hammonds had two. Beaver had two hits for Central and Page had one hit and two RBIs.

Tanner Hermesch pitched all seven innings for the Patriots, scatting seven hits, giving up all six runs, but only two earned. He walked one and struck out seven.