AHSAA BASEBALL PLAYOFFS: Scottsboro sweeps Jacksonville to reach 5A quarterfinals
Story By Jason Bowen
Scottsboro head baseball coach Cade Medley marveled at “the show” his baseball team put on during batting practice just prior to the start of the Wildcats’ Class 5A second-round best-of-three series with Jacksonville.
“We were kind of wide-eyed watching it — it was impressive,” Medley said. “I told my assistant coaches, ‘hang on, it’s looking good.’”
Two games and 13 total innings later, Scottsboro totaled 20 runs and 26 hits, and coupled with two strong pitching performances, resulted in the Wildcats advancing with a 7-4, 13-0 sweep Friday at SHS.
The series win sends Scottsboro to the state quarterfinals for the second time in program history — the other was in 1999 — and for the first time in the AHSAA’s current best-of-three playoff format.
“We want this to raise the bar so this becomes an expectation (for the program),” Medley said.
Scottsboro (15-15) will travel to Tuscaloosa to play No. 2-ranked American Christian Academy in a Class 5A Quarterfinal series starting Friday with a Game 1/Game 2 doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. Game 3, if needed, would be played Saturday at ACA at 1 p.m.
The Scottsboro-ACA winner plays either No. 3 Madison Academy or Lawrence County in a state semifinal appearance. If it advances, Scottsboro would host Lawrence County but would travel to play 5A Area 16 rival Madison Academy.
After eliminating No. 7 Boaz in three games in Round 1, Scottsboro cruised past Jacksonville (18-19) in Round 2 after a bumpy start to Game 1.
The Wildcats fell behind 2-0 and 4-3 after the first two innings in the opener, but Scottsboro scored three runs in the bottom of the second and never trailed again in the series.
“They scored, we’d respond — this group just keeps responding to adversity,” Medley said.
RBI doubles from Trent Wilson and JC Heikkinen and an RBI groundout by Cade Hastings accounted for the Wildcats’ three first-inning runs, and after Conner Vaden’s RBI double tied the game 4-all, Cohen Thompson hit a go-ahead two-run home run to right field. Jake Hastings scored a run for the Wildcats in the third inning to close the scoring.
Hunter Hancock finished 3-for-4 and Vaden went 2-for-3 for Scottsboro, which got one hit each from Thompson, Wilson, Heikkinen, Hastings and John Will Potterfield.
After a shaky start, Hancock held Jacksonville scoreless over the final five innings and closed with four strikeouts while picking up the complete-game win.
Jackson Nichols then followed Hancock’s effort by pitching a six-inning complete-game two-hit shutout. He finished with seven strikeouts and issued just one walk while throwing 50 of his 75 pitches for strikes.
“For us, Hunter Hancock is (pitcher) 1-A and Jackson Nichols is 1-B,” Medley said.
Hancock’s two-run double in the top of the first inning — Scottsboro was the visiting team in Game 2 — gave Nichols some early run support. Vaden extended the Scottsboro lead to 5-0 in the second by hitting his first career home run, a three-run shot, and Heikkinen then hit his first career homer leading off the top of the third, the start of a four-run inning that also included Cade Hastings’ RBI single and Thompson’s two-run double for a 9-0 Wildcats’ advantage. Scottsboro added four more runs in the top of the sixth thanks to RBI singles by Heikkinen, Nichols and Jake Hastings and Heikkinen’s run on a wild pitch.
Nichols, Hancock and Jake Hastings all finished 3-for-4 for the Wildcats while Heikkinen was 2-for-3 and Vaden, Thompson, Wilson, Cade Hastings in Potterfield had one hit each.
Scottsboro entered the sixth inning of its final area game with Ardmore starting the end of its season in the face, but the Wildcats rallied to win the game and have taken off since.
“That’s the thing about baseball,” Medley said. “The bats heat up and the pitchers dial in. It’s what this group is made of. It’s all the kids. That’s what we preach to them, play disciplined, hard-nosed baseball, and it’s paying off. I’m super happy for this bunch. I’m so glad we keep getting to play.”
