Andalusia claims first baseball title

Andalusia rebounded from a 6-3 loss to Hokes Bluff in game one of the AHSAA Class 4A State Baseball Championship Series this past Tuesday night by sweeping the Eagles 2-1 and 10-6 at Riverwalk Stadium as the Bulldogs captured the school’s first-ever state baseball title.

The loss Tuesday at Patterson Field snapped a 19-game winning streak. Coach Tyler Dent’s Bulldogs (30-5) started a new streak in game two, however, senior Ethan Wilson, the series MVP, tosse a three-hitter in the 2-1 win. Game three, however, became a matter of timely hitting.

Tied at 3-3 in the top of the fourth inning, Gil Morgan’s slapped a double and drove in the go-ahead run and Hogan Nichols singled in a run and two came across thanks to wild pitches as the Bulldogs took a 7-3 lead.

Coach Mike Robertson’s Eagles (28-8) cut the lead to 7-6 with three unconventional runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth, coming on a bases loaded walk to Caleb McGinnis, a hit-by-pitch by Peyton Moore and a sacrifice fly by Dylan Teague.

Andalusia answered with a run in the sixth thanks to Nichols’ RBI single, and scored two in the seventh when Garrett Davis drilled a single to plate two runs.

Starting pitcher Chip Morgan (3-1) pitched 4-1/3 innings to get the win with his brother Gill Morgan  shutting out Hokes Bluff over the final 2-2/3 innings  to notch the save. Weston Ball (1-1) got the loss in relief.

The Eagles’ trip to the finals was the first since winning six state crowns in a row from 2003-08.