Golden victory: Russellville baseball heads to semifinals
The Golden Tigers advance to the semifinals with a win over the Springville Tigers.
High School Sports, Sports, Z - News Main
 By  Staff Reports Published 
8:30 pm Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Golden victory: Russellville baseball heads to semifinals

By Brannon King / For the FCT

Going into Monday’s decisive game three of the Class 5A playoffs against the Springville Tigers, Russellville head baseball coach Chris Heaps was looking for an advantage. His team had just split the first two games of the series; both schools combined for 59 runs with Springville taking game one 19-15 and RHS evening things up with an 18-7 win Friday evening.

The message Heaps conveyed to his team was to “run to the roar.” He compared Springville’s bats – roaring loudly from success never seen by Russellville pitching during their recent run of championships – to that of a lion in the wild. He said he wanted his squad to beat the opponent at their own game.

This group of RHS players was determined to not back down.

Trailing 4-3 going into the bottom of the sixth inning, Russellville’s Golden Tigers were on the prowl.  It was their jungle, and they were going to prove they were still the kings of 5A.

Noah Gist got the rally started with a one-out walk. Then Rudy Fernandez doubled on a shot to the outfield, bringing home the game-tying run.

The large crowd at Russellville Baseball Stadium watched as the Springville reliever proceeded to hit Landon Ezzell – who had 11 total RBIs in the first two games of the series, including a couple of grand slams in game two – and Caden Parker with pitches to load the bases for Houston Kitterman. The senior third baseman worked the count to 3-2 and then served a pop-fly just over the drawn-in infield and out of the reach of the outfielders that brought home Fernandez.

Brock Malone gave Russellville an insurance run by drawing a walk to give his team a 6-4 advantage that Jaret Ward would preserve after he had come into the game in relief of Fernandez in the top of the sixth.

“This team probably is the best hitting team in my six years of being at Russellville,” Heaps said of Springville. “I’ve never seen a team that constantly came up and scared me like these guys did.”

Heaps went with Fernandez to start the game on the mound and had a full pitching staff available after rain Saturday gave the players an extra couple of days to rest before the series resumed Monday.  Fernandez went 5.1 innings, allowing four runs on five hits, three earned. The senior right-hander struck out two and walked four batters.

Jaret Ward came on in relief and used his sidearm delivery to keep the Springville sluggers in check.  Ward gave up only two hits and worked out of jams in both of the last two innings of the game in a clutch performance.

In the seventh inning, Springville got a leadoff single to right, but then a flyout to Tom Barkley Scott in left followed. Ivan Cornelius then ripped another single to the outfield to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. Ward got Hughes of Springville to hit a grounder to Caden Parker at shortstop, and he made a tremendous play to get the ball to Malone for the out at second. Then the senio, second baseman finished the double play with a toss over to Ezzell at first to set off a Golden Tiger victory celebration.

“Rudy did a heck of a job keeping them off balance for several innings, and we brought Jaret in at the right time,” Heaps said. “We made a lot of good coaching decisions, Coach Fuller and myself, talking about our pitching situation. We had a good plan I felt like, and we had some big hits, too.”

With the series win, Russellville (28-14) will advance to the semifinals to take on a familiar opponent in Mortimer Jordan. The Blue Devils will come to RHS for the second consecutive season in the playoffs after falling in round one last year to the Golden Tigers.

Also on Franklin County Times
Thorpe to play at Blue Mountain Christian
High School Sports, News, Russellville, ...
Brannon King For the FCT 
July 16, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE – Brennon Thorpe made his plans official to attend Blue Mountain Christian University and play baseball for the Toppers during a recent s...
Russellville High Class of 1967 gathers, reminisces
Columnists, News, Opinion, ...
HERE AND NOW
July 16, 2025
You can’t really go back to the good old days of high school, but you can pay them a visit now and then. That’s exactly what the RHS Class of 1967 has...
Former Cypress Lakes official to lead Guntersville State Park
Lifestyles, News
Bernie Delinski For the FCT 
July 16, 2025
GUNTERSVILLE — Heath Puckett had an Auburn University degree and golf course superintendent certification in his pocket when he arrived at Cypress Lak...
European travel builds bonds across cultures
Lifestyles, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
July 16, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE -- A group of Franklin County travelers spent nine days this summer walking through catacombs, exploring castles and standing in places w...
Little Free Library welcomes readers in East Franklin
Lifestyles, News, Phil Campbell
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
July 16, 2025
PHIL CAMPBELL — Eleven-year-old Aiden Hall is an avid reader, but he doesn’t just want to read books. He also wants to share them, and the way he deci...
King becomes elementary curriculum director
Lifestyles, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
July 16, 2025
RUSSELVILLE — Molly King says every child can learn, though not necessarily in the same way or on the same day — a belief she plans to carry into her ...
New Junior Leaders begin their training
Franklin County, News
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
July 16, 2025
FRANKLIN COUNTY — Forty-two high school students from across Franklin County are beginning 10 months of hands-on leadership training and community ser...
Fire destroys 2-story garage, guest suite
Main, News, Russellville, ...
Kevin Taylor For the FCT 
July 16, 2025
R U S S E L LV I L L E – Jason Gist leaned against the wall of his home with a look of disgust while dozens of firefighters worked to extinguish a fir...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Stories
July 4, 2025Augusto Simon Diaz, 42, of Russellville, passed away July 4. Visitation and funeral were held at Spry Memorial Chapel on July 12 from 2pm ...
July 16, 2025
July 8, 2025Jamie Kerby Cummings, 41, of Russellville, passed away on July 8. Visitation took place July 13, at Spry Memorial Chapel from 1 pm to 3pm....
July 16, 2025
July 11,2025Julie “JuJu” Welch Black, 63, of Russellville, passed away on July 11.Graveside service was held at 1pm on July 13, at Belgreen Cemetery w...
July 16, 2025
July 9, 2025Scott Noel Benford, age 58, of Muscle Shoals, passed away on July 9. Visitation was held at Pinkard Funeral Home in Russellville on July 1...
July 16, 2025