Pitching set the tone for Pike Liberal Arts in Wednesday’s AISA Class AAA state baseball championship series.
Powered by the pitching of Press Jefcoat and Auburn University signee Drew Nelson, the Patriots swept Glenwood 1-0 and 6-1. The two combined for 25 strikeouts in the series.
Jefcoat, a Pensacola State signee, struck out 10, walked six and allowed three hits in a complete-game shutout to open the series. Nelson followed up with 15 strikeouts, one walk and one run in a complete-game two-hitter in Game 2.
Nelson struck out six straight during one stretch of Game 2, five straight during another stretch before ending the game with a strikeout.
“Those two have been our guys all year,” Pike Liberal coach Rush Hixon said. “Coming in, we knew we had two dudes who can win games. Those two have busted their tails and carried us all year. It’s going to be really hard not seeing them in a Pike Lib jersey next year, but I look forward to seeing what they do in college.”
The championship is the fourth straight for Pike Lib.
“Every championship means a lot because we’ve worked hard for each one of them,” Nelson said. “This one means so much to me because of the group of guys we have. We have a bond that has been building over many years and it feels so special to win with them.”
Pike Liberal’s Cason Eubanks was 2-for-4 with a double and scored the only run in Game 1. In Game 2, Payne Jefcoat was 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs and John Lott drove in two runs.
Sophomore Brandon McCraine took the 1-0 loss for Glenwood in Game 1, striking out six, walking two, hitting one batter and allowing six hits in seven innings. Wyatt Tharpe was 2-for-3. Game 2 starter Colton Dempsey took the loss for Glenwood in four innings.
“I’m proud of our guys. We had a great year, we just didn’t have enough today,” Glenwood coach Tim Fanning said. “These guys accomplished a lot and I wouldn’t trade them for any other team.”
CLASS A: Abbeville Christian 10, Jackson Academy 8
First-year Abbeville Christian baseball coach C.J. Upshaw couldn’t help but smile as his players poured a celebratory cooler of water over his head near the first-base dugout at Paterson Field.
Shortly after surviving a 10-8 battle against Jackson Academy to win the program’s first AISA state title since 2016, the newly crowned Class A champions were enjoying the moment.
“It means a lot to me to be a part of this championship, to come in and help a group of kids who were starving to win and it feels so good to see them come out on top,” Upshaw said. “These guys came in and wanted to win this season. They wanted to be good and they worked for it.”
The final steps to a championship were far from easy for the Generals. After losing Game 1 of the series 4-3 in 10 innings on Tuesday and winning the second game 7-4, Abbeville Christian had to get through Game 3 on Wednesday.
“This series was up and down for us, but at the end of the day, that scoreboard is what counts and we got the job done,” Abbeville Christian’s Justin Murphy said. “This means so much to us. I’m so grateful for all of these guys. Coach C.J. put in the work and we put in the work and we got the job done,”
The Generals appeared to have Game 3 in control, taking a 7-2 lead in the fourth inning and a 10-3 lead in the top of the seventh inning. But Jackson answered with five runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it a two-run game with one out and the bases loaded.
Abbeville ended the comeback attempt and claimed the championship with a double play.
“It was a rollercoaster of emotions,” Upshaw said. “I kept telling our guys to keep fighting, good things are going to happen and they fought until the very last pitch. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Starting pitcher Garrett Money earned the win in 6.1 innings. Titus McCreight faced one batter to earn the save.
Murphy was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs, Boone Sumlar was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs and Reid Quincey had three RBIs.
Starter Colton Sullivan took the loss for Jackson Academy in 3.1 innings. Cameran Thomas had two RBIs and a run for Jackson and Zach Barr had two runs and one RBI. Cain Richardson had two hits, one RBI and one run.
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