RHS goes 3-1 at beach
J.R. Tidwell/FCT
Russellville’s Luke Harris (16) waits on a pitch in a game played last season. Harris was the winning pitcher against Pell City.
GULF SHORES — The Russellville Golden Tigers varsity baseball squad had a good outing in the Gulf Shores Classic tournament this week.
The team went 3-1 with wins over Pell City, Trinity and Robertsdale.
The lone loss came at the hands of Sipsey Valley.
Head coach Chris Heaps decided to enter his new team into the tournament because he participated in the event last year with his former school, Central-Phenix City.
With a 6-2 win over Pell City, a 11-7 win over Robertsdale and a 5-4 victory over Trinity, the Golden Tigers seem to have made the most of the opportunity.
Pell City started off with a 1-0 lead that remained until the bottom of the second inning of game one.
Austin Kitterman reached base after being hit by a pitch and promptly stole second and third.
Trevor Malone brought Kitterman in on a sacrifice to tie the game at 1-1.
Russellville took the lead in the bottom of the third when Jordan Gist stole home plate on a wild throw.
The Golden Tigers added another run when Luke Harris sacrificed on a ground out to bring in Logan Ezzell.
Pell City was again unable to score, and Russellville added to its tally in the bottom of the fourth on a RBI single by Ezzell.
The Golden Tigers scored again in the bottom of the next inning when Kitterman scored on a fielder’s choice hit by Malone.
Pell City added its second and final run of the contest in the top of the sixth, but Russellville answered with its final run of the game when Ezzell smashed the ball over the right field fence.
The Golden Tigers had only five hits in the game, but those were enough to pick up the win.
Harris was the winning pitcher. He gave up two runs on five hits during six innings of work with six strikeouts and three walks.
In game two Sipsey Valley had amassed a 6-0 lead before the Golden Tigers got on the board.
Ezzell hit a RBI triple to center field and Harris hit a RBI single to center field in the bottom of the fourth.
Sipsey Valley scored again in the fifth and seventh innings to take a 8-2 lead.
Kaleb Daniel took home plate on an E2 in the bottom of the seventh, starting a last-chance comeback for the Golden Tigers.
Jackson Smith walked with the bases loaded and Ezzell hit a 2-RBI double to make the score 8-6, but the comeback was quelled before Russellville could take the lead.
Russellville took on Robertsdale in the next game.
Robertsdale took a 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the first and would keep this lead until the top of the fourth.
Daniel scored after a single by Gist in the top of the third, and Malone scored after Landon Smothers walked with the bases loaded, tying the game at 2-2.
Russellville then took the lead after a sac fly for a RBI by Tyler Childers. A RBI single by Smith brought home Kitterman an extended the lead to 4-2.
The Golden Tigers had a huge fifth inning scoring five runs in the process, including runs scored by Isaac Fleming, Hayden Evans and Jacob Seal.
Two more runs in the seventh set up the eventual win for Russellville.
Jacob Green was the winning pitcher. He gave up four runs off six hits in five innings with one strikeout and two walks.
Most of the scoring in game four against Trinity was done in the first inning.
Trinity took a 3-0 advantage in the top of the first.
Russellville answered with two runs of its own on a sacrifice by Evans that allowed Smith and Gist to reach home.
This tally remained until the bottom of the fourth when Daniel hit a sac fly that scored Harris.
The ensuing play on a dropped third strike allowed Ezzell to score in the bottom of the fifth.
Trinity tied things up at 4-4 in the top of the seventh, but Gist stole home plate on a wild pitch to elevate the Golden Tigers to the win in the bottom of the inning.
Jacob Seal was the winning pitcher. He pitched all seven innings and gave up four runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and only one walk.
Russellville now has a 16-8 record and will face Huntsville and Austin at Austin April 1.
