Fresh off an upset of No. 3 Oakman in the first round of the state
baseball playoffs, Elkmont is eager to build off that momentum when they
travel to Pleasant Valley for a second round series Friday.
Elkmont's
win over the third-ranked team in Class 3A couldn't have come in more
dramatic fashion Saturday in the deciding game of the series. Oakman
scored a run in the top of the seventh inning to pull within 4-3 and had
runners on second and third with one out.
Elkmont pitcher Jackson
Cook forced one batter to pop out to center field and got the final out
on a ground ball to shortstop Hunter Pittman, allowing Elkmont to hang
on for a dramatic first-round playoff victory.
“The
guy (Curry) hits probably the hardest hit of the whole series and for
whatever reason the runner on third didn't tag,” said Elkmont head coach
Zach Standridge. “Our center fielder, Patrick Jobman, made a great
play. If he doesn't catch that, they go up 5-4 and probably win the
game.”
Elkmont upset No. 3 Oakman 3-2 in the opener, then lost the
second game 14-2 Friday night to force a third game. In Saturday's
deciding game, Elkmont jumped out to an early lead and held on for a 4-3
victory to advance.
Elkmont saved its best for last, putting Cook
on the mound when it mattered most. Cook struck out seven batters and
allowed three runs in a complete game win.
“Jackson made a lot of
good pitches and we made some plays when we had to,” said Standridge.
“He made some great pitches in some clutch positions. Can't say enough
about how well he played.”
Not many people gave Elkmont (18-18) a
chance on the road against an Oakman team that racked up 26 victories
this season. With Cook or Brett Parker on the mound, however, Standridge
said he knew his team would have a chance.
“We knew they would be
good. They probably have the best pitching staff of any 3A team we've
faced,” he said. “But we also knew our pitchers would give us a chance
to win. If we could hold them, we thought we could win a few low scoring
games.”
Elkmont's strategy worked to near perfection. The Red
Devils ground out a 3-2 victory in Friday's opening game and started
Cook in the second game. After several errors led to two Curry runs in
the second inning and with Curry's best pitcher on the mound, Standridge
opted to save Cook for Saturday's deciding game.
“We
felt like we could win if we scored four or five runs. We got some
clutch hits and were ahead in every game.” said Standridge. “I think
they played a little tight because they were the favorite and us being
ahead in those games helped.”
Elkmont did not know if they would
even be in the playoffs until its final area series of the season. The
Red Devils needed a win over rivals Clements in their final area game
April 13 to secure a playoff berth.
“We beat Clements to get into
the playoffs and then beat Ardmore earlier in the week at their place,”
said Standridge. “We carried that momentum into Oakman. The kids are
playing with a lot of confidence right now.”
First pitch from Pleasant Valley in Jacksonville is 5 p.m. Friday.
Rain was an issue for last week's game. Hopefully, some games will get played this week.
MONDAY
SOFTBALL
6U
Congrats to Elkmont Diamond Divas on their 15-9 win over East 1 in extra innings! They never gave up!
As rain clouds dumped an inch on the Hilltop, the Elkmont Red Devils traveled to Oakman High for the sunny final and deciding game of the first round playoff series against the Wildcats.
It was a close game but Elkmont won 4-3 and will move on to the next round of the state playoffs. They will be traveling to Pleasant Valley (9-19) on Friday for the series.
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| ELKMONT | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 4 | 7 | 3 |
Winning pitcher, Jackson Cook had an outstanding performance on the mound today for a complete game. He had 24 first strike pitches and 7 strikeouts.
Elkmont traveled to Oakman High in Walker County for the first round of the 3A state playoffs against the Area 12 champions. The Wildcats had an overall 24-5 record and were 8-1 in their area before the Red Devils rolled into town.
Winning the first game 3-2, the Red Devils weren't able to put Oakman away in the second game. They lost 14-2 and travel back for game 3 at noon today!
The Red Devils clinched the runner-up spot in 3A Area 15 by winning an area
series with Clements last week. Elkmont (14-15) will travel to Oakman
(23-5) TODAY for a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. Elkmont will be the home team for the second game at 6:30 pm. If the doubleheader is split, the final game will be on Saturday @ 11 am
After clinching the area series with Clements, Elkmont was still riding that wave when they washed into Ardmore last night. The Red Devils wouldn't give up and it took an extra inning but the win was theirs, 6-3.
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Brett Parker and Jackson Cook teamed up for 6.2 innings. Braden Miller finished up the 1.1 inning that added up to 8 for the total game. Parker had 1 strikeout and 8 first pitch strikes. Cook threw 11 first pitch strikes and also had 1 strikeout.
On offense, the Red Devils' hit leaders were Bryce Tyler with 3 hits and Hunter Pitman with 2. Patrick Jobman, Brady Garris and Brian Rios had 1 walk each. Rios was at the top of the RBI board with 3 and Brady Garris followed with 2.
Our Red Devils have one more game before playoffs on Friday. They are traveling to St. John Catholic High in Huntsville today. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 PM.
Elkmont earned a playoff spot in the Alabama State Playoffs by taking the series against Clements, April 13. They will be playing at Oakman High School in Walker County on Friday. This is the Red Devils' first appearance in the playoffs since 2012.
Earlier in the week, the first game of the series was played at Clements. The Red Devils were able to put together an error free game to beat the Colts, 5-0.
On Thursday, the deciding games were played at Elkmont and were part of the Senior Night festivities.
FIRST GAME:
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Hunter Pittman led the Red Devils with a single, a walk and three RBIs. Patrick Jobman had a hit, two walks and two runs scored. Brett Parker pitched four complete innings with eleven first pitch strikes and five strike outs.
Jackson Cook (two strike outs) and Clay Hunt also had mound appearances. The Red Devils led 8-6 going into the last inning but couldn't hold the lead. Clements scored five runs to take the game, 11-9.
SECOND GAME:
Clements and Elkmont were now tied 1-1 in the series, the state playoffs were on the line. Post season play of either team depended on this all important deciding game.
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After a depressing first game, the Red Devils recouped and ran out on the field, ready for a rematch. Jackson Cook put together a complete game to help Elkmont clinch the final game of the series. He had 22 first pitch strikes, and 2 strike outs.
The Red Devils led going into the sixth inning and held the Colts scoreless. The flood gates opened at the bottom of the seventh as Elkmont scored seven runs and won the game, 14-4.
Elkmont has been chasing a spot in the baseball playoffs. In their area, they beat East Lawrence earlier last month. West Morgan took the area series with the Red Devils. This left us 1-1 in area play. They need to win the series with the one team that stand in the way, Clements, to get that post season playoff spot.
April 10
Varsity
Elkmont 5, Clements 0
Brett
Parker and Jackson cook allowed two hits and no walks for Elkmont.
Brady Garris had three singles, two RBIs and a run scored.
April 13
***EHS BASEBALL SENIOR NIGHT***
Everyone come out to Blake Jones Field on
Thursday 4/13 @ 4:30 for Senior Night to honor all of our seniors for
2017! Stay for some great baseball against Clements @ 5 pm.
MONDAY:
No games
TUESDAY:
Varsity defeated Clements 3-2!
JV smoked the Lady Colts, 19-2.
MONDAY
*All that needs to be said is "oh my, Elkmont won in spades" in both games of their double header against Minor Hill.
TUESDAY
* Middle School played Ardmore in a double header. The first game was the Red Devils 9, Tigers 7. Elkmont was just getting warmed up for the second game. They slammed Ardmore, 14-8.
*Varsity split the series with Clements with a 5-0 win.
*JV picked up another win by beating Clements.
THURSDAY
*Varsity - Senior Day
FRIDAY
*Varsity @ ABS (DH)
