Rebels sit one win from area title
Published 1:30 pm Monday, April 10, 2017
Thorsby baseball remained undefeated in area play following a 14-4 victory at home against Verbena on April 6.
The Rebels are in the midst of a nine game winning streak and improved to a record of 13-5 overall and 3-0 in area play.
One more win is all that Thorsby needs to clinch the Area 9-2A title. The Rebels play Billingsley on April 13 with the first game scheduled for 4 p.m. and a second game set for 6 p.m. if necessary.
“It’s on the road and we’ve got to go down there with the mindset to compete and play a complete ballgame,” Thorsby head coach Billy Jackson said. “Hopefully we can continue to take care of business.”
The Rebels hammered Billingsley 12-0 in the first matchup between the two teams on April 4.
“We really need to win that game, because we didn’t go to the playoffs last year,” Thorsby first baseman Trent Jones said. “You can’t underestimate anybody.”
It took a little while for the Thorsby bats to get going, but they eventually found their groove at the plate, as the Rebels separated themselves with 10 runs combined in the third and fourth innings.
The entire Thorsby lineup reach based at some point in the game, including Cain Niece, Jones and Chase Birchfield, who were able to reach base seemingly every time that they stepped up to the plate.
“We’re young, but it’s good because we’re getting that valuable experience with every game,” Jones said.
Three Rebels connected on extra base hits in the game, including a triple by Niece and doubles by Birchfield and Bailey Sellers.
Logan Patterson pitched a complete game and allowed just one hit in five innings with no earned runs, while striking out five and walking two.
“He needed to make some adjustments, and got in a groove later on,” Jackson said.