Bob Jones drops Game 1 thriller, eliminated in Game 2
MADISON – Thompson baseball coach Frankie Perez had an ace in the hole when facing Bob Jones in a Class 7A playoff doubleheader Friday.
Perez played it with Game 1 of a best-of-three, second-round series hanging in the balance. The Patriots eliminated the Warriors at this same stage of the postseason, and as the opener moved into extra innings with Bob Jones threatening he wasn’t taking any chances.
Wyatt Williams, the top-ranked pitcher in the state who has signed with Alabama,
took the mound with no outs and the potential tying run on second base in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior slammed the door on a 4-3 win, the Warriors took the nightcap 7-1, and advanced to the semifinals with the sweep.
It was the fourth straight year the teams met in the playoffs. The past three meetings all went three games, with Thompson winning in 2023 and Bob Jones coming out on top in ’24 and ’25.
The two also met twice in February this year in regular-season games that the Patriots won 7-3 and 6-4.
Bob Jones (26-18) failed to reach the semifinals for the first time in three seasons. Thompson (26-16) will now play either Tuscaloosa County or Hewitt-Trussville.
Thompson 4, Bob Jones 3 (G1, 8 inn.): Warriors pitchers totaled 19 strikeouts in both games, none bigger than two by Williams in Game 1. After issuing the walk, and with the potential tying and winning runs at first and second, he went to work.
He struck out the second batter he faced on three straight looking, coaxed a popout on a 1-2 count, and ended things with a four-pitch strikeout.
Ashton Blair got the win in 7.0 innings. He allowed five hits, three runs (one earned), struck out six and walked three. He also had two hits and an RBI.
Williams hit a two-run homer in the fifth to make it 3-2. Bob Jones’ Elijah Degante singled in the bottom of the inning, and came around to tie the game at 3-all on a wild pitch, an error and another wild pitch to make it 3-all in the bottom of the fifth.
Starter Josh Wilhide went 6.2 innings in a no-decision. He allowed six hits, two runs (both earned), struck out six and walked five. Kamrin Jenkins took the loss in 1.1 innings of relief, allowing two hits, an earned run in the eighth while striking out one and walkingtruck out one and walked one.
Jenkins had two hits, and Tayte Dunn hit a two-run double that gave the Patriots a 2-1 lead in the fourth.
Thompson 7, Bob Jones 1 (G2): Jenkins homered to put the Patriots ahead in the top of the first, before the Warrions scored four in the bottom of the inning and two in the second.
Williams had a double among two hits and an RBI. Cooper Craycraft and Kade Brantley both had a double and two RBIs.
Austin Barnett threw a complete-game, four-hitter with 11 strikeouts and two walks. Six of the seven runs scored by Thompson were earned.
