MHS baseball quiets Verbena bats
Published 3:18 pm Monday, April 22, 2019
- Maplesville swept Verbena in the first round of the Class 1A playoffs on April 20. Next up, Sweet Water in the second round on April 25. (File photo)
The Maplesville Red Devils advanced in the state baseball playoffs with a first round sweep of Verbena on April 20.
Maplesville finished on the winning end of a pitching duel with a 2-0 victory in Game 1.
Caleb Hobbs started for MHS and pitched a complete game shutout that included 10 strikeouts and four hits surrendered.
Austin Barber took the mound for Verbena and put on a showcase as well by giving up just two earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts and three walks.
Both of Maplesville’s runs came in the second inning courtesy of a two-run single to left field by Gage Mims that scored Troy McMillan and Jacob Hollis.
In Game 2, Maplesville exploded for 11 runs in the fourth inning and won 13-0 in five innings.
Jackson Abbott pitched all five innings for Maplesville and allowed no runs on four hits with a handful of strikeouts and one walk.
Ten different Maplesville batters reached base in Game 2, led by Christin Brown who went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run to center field in the fifth inning. He finished with four RBIs.
Abbott and Cole Gray each went 2-for-3 at the plate. Gray showed off his speed on the base paths with a triple and a double.
McMillan drove in three runs in the contest, while Ashton Hobbs showed patience at the plate with a trio of walks.
Maplesville will host Sweet Water in the second round beginning April 25 at 1 p.m. with Game 2 to follow.