Thorsby comes alive at the plate

Published 3:25 pm Monday, April 24, 2017

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The Thorsby Rebels baseball team opened its first round playoff series against Lamar County with a 10-1 victory as host on April 21.

Lamar County grabbed an early 1-0 lead, but the bats went silent after that, as senior Bailey Sellers pitched a complete game gem.

Sellers allowed just one earned run on three hits, while striking out eight of the 27 batters he faced.

“We tried to get momentum on our side [in the series] by throwing Bailey [Sellers],” Thorsby head coach Billy Jackson said.

The Rebels came alive at the plate the second time through the lineup, as Cain Niece, Sellers and Graham Blankenship led off the inning with three straight singles.

They each came around to score and gave Thorsby a 3-1 lead thanks to a two-run single by Robert Blankenship and an RBI double by Trent Jones.

Six insurance runs put the game away for good in the sixth inning, as the entire Thorsby batting order received a turn at the plate in the inning.

Sellers and Austin Adams hit home runs over the left field fence during the sixth inning explosion.

“I felt it off the bat and I knew it was out,” Adams said. “I finally got one, and it felt real good.”

Adams connected on a two-run bomb, while Sellers’ was a solo shot.

With the win, the Rebels grabbed a 1-0 lead in the best of three series.

“If we can keep the bats hot, we’ll be fine,” Jackson said. “We’ve just got to keep pressuring them [opponents] to make the plays.”