Panthers win Walker County series against Ramblers
It wasn’t the threegame sweep that they would have hoped for, but the Ridgeland Panthers headed back to school following Spring Break still within striking distance of a state playoff berth.
Ridgeland managed to take two of three from county and Region 6-AAAA rival LaFayette last week, splitting a doubleheader at home on Tuesday before winning the rubber game Saturday night in south Walker County.
With six region games left to play, the Panthers (5-7 in the region) began the week just one game in the loss column behind Gilmer (7-8) for the region’s fourth and final playoff spot. Ridgeland will face third-place Pickens (7-5) in a three-game series this week, while Gilmer must deal with second-place Heritage (9-3) in their final region series of the season.
The Panthers also a three-game series with region leader Northwest Whitfield (10-2) next week.
Meanwhile, the two losses dropped the Ramblers to 3-9 in region play. LaFayette will close out the regular season with a three-game series against Northwest this week before finishing up with three games against Heritage next week.
Ridgeland 10, LaFayette 3
In Tuesday’s opener at Jay Smith Field, the Panthers touched up the Ramblers for four runs in the bottom of the first and three more in each of the next two innings. A three-run top of the fifth by LaFayette prevented a run-rule victory.
Dylan Wooten claimed the win for the Panthers, while Ty Fisher suffered the loss for the Ramblers.
Jalyn Shelton had three RBIs, including a two-run single in the second inning. Wooten helped himself with two hits and two RBIs, while Jacob Stephens had a two-run single in the first. Tanner Hill went 3-for-4 out of the leadoff spot, while Austin Delay and Will Hodges knocked in one run each.
Brady Anderson and Blake Guffey both doubled for the Ramblers.
LaFayette 1, Ridgeland 0
Ethan Stephenson threw several strong
innings for the Ramblers in the nightcap, but his best strike of the night came from a lot farther away than 60-feet, 6-inches.
After being replaced on the hill in the fifth inning of Game 2, Stephenson threw out the potential tying run at the plate to help preserve a Rambler victory.
LaFayette was able to scratch out the first and only run of the nightcap in the top of the fifth inning as Logan Teasley singled, took second on a sacrifice bunt by Stephenson and motored home on a runscoring flare to shallow left field by A.J. Buck.
Stephenson ended the bottom of the fourth with a big strikeout to leave the bases loaded. However, it looked as though the shutout would be snuffed out an inning later as Shawn Wilson delivered a leadoff single before back-to-back successful bunts by Hill and Wooten loaded the sacks once more, this time with nobody out.
Delay sent a flyball to straightaway center off LaFayette reliever John James as the speedy Wilson got set to tag up from third base. Stephenson caught the ball, then let loose a frozen rope to the plate that catcher Anderson caught before putting the tag on a sliding Wilson for the crucial double play. Stephenson hauled in the third out one batter later to keep his team in the lead.
The last bit of drama came in the bottom of the seventh. Hill hit a two-out single back through the box and instinctively took second as the ball
was misplayed in the outfield. Hill swiped third without a throw on the next pitch, but he would be stranded two pitches later as Anderson made a tough catch on a sky-high popup against the backstop off the bat of Wooten to end the game.
Stephenson got the win with four-plus innings of three-hit ball, while James collected the threeinning save, allowing only the one hit. Hill pitched solidly in defeat, allowing just the one earned run in five innings. Shelton threw the last two scoreless innings for the Panthers.
Hill was the only player for either team with more than one hit.
Ridgeland 17, LaFayette 5
Leading 2-1 after two complete innings of play, Ridgeland (9-10 overall) exploded for 11 runs in the top of the third and added four more in the top of the seventh to cruise to a Game 3 victory.
Hill was 5-for-5 with four runs scored. He also hit a homer in the third inning, as did Hodges, who finished 2-for-5. Wooten was 4-for-5 with four runs scored and Delay went 3-for-4 with five RBIs in the win. The Panthers’ defense also turned two double plays, including one to end the game.
Teasley scored three times for LaFayette (8-16) and reached base in all four plate appearances.
Ridgeland will play at Pickens on Tuesday and Friday and host the Dragons on Thursday. LaFayette will play at Northwest on Tuesday before hosting the Bruins in a Friday doubleheader.