By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Thorsby earned a second consecutive trip to the quarterfinals of the Class 2A state playoffs with Wednesday’s 9-5 win at Horseshoe Bend.

The game marked the Rebels’ third trip to HBHS in three days because Tuesday’s game—which would have been the decisive game of the best-of-three series—was rained out.

So, Thorsby went back Wednesday and relied on its pitching depth to earn the win.

THS will host Houston Academy in the third round of the state playoffs. The best-of-three series will begin at noon Saturday with another game following the first.

If necessary, a third game would be played Monday.

The Rebels (30-6, the exact same mark as at this point last season) led 5-1 going into the bottom of the fourth inning, but the hosts scored four runs and had the bases loaded with one out when Shane Beam relieved Stephen Mims on the mound.

Beam worked out of the jam and finished the game.

“Anytime you go on the road in the playoffs, it’s hard,” THS Coach Ab Argent said. “I thought Shane stepped up late for us. Our kids battled from the get-go.

“Our goal was to get back to the quarterfinals again, and we did that,” Argent said.

Mims had held HBHS in check until the fourth; he allowed two hits and eight walks while striking out five.

Jace Maddox started the scoring by driving in Jason Price in the first inning.

In the second, Cody Carroll plated Wesley Smitherman with a sacrifice fly, Parker Bryan’s single brought home Mims, Bryan touched the plate and Maddox scored on a balk by the Horseshoe Bend pitcher.

Smitherman and Morgan scored in the third inning, but the Rebels wouldn’t score again until the top of the seventh, when Mims scored on an error and Bryan was brought in by a Price single.

By J.D. Cowart | The Alex City Outlook

The Horseshoe Bend and Thorsby second round playoff baseball match-up came down to the wire Monday night in Horseshoe Bend, as the visiting Rebels split, winning Game 1, 3-1, but falling in Game 2, 6-5.

THS starter Cody Carroll went the complete game for the Rebels in Game 1, giving up only four hits on 10 strikeouts while only walking three.

The score was tied 0-0 headed into the bottom of the second inning before Mathew Dean grounded into a double play that brought in the first run of the game, giving HBHS a 1-0 lead.

The score stayed at 1-0 until the top of the sixth, when Thorsby’s Matt Morgan and Blake Elkins both drove in runs off HBHS starter Corey Pouncey to give the Rebels their first lead late in the game at 2-1.

Pouncey went the complete game for the Generals, allowing six hits to go along with four strikeouts.

THS then added one more insurance run in the top of the seventh inning.

HBHS continued to struggle offensively through game two as Thorsby’s Bo Huffman went six innings on the mound, giving up only two hits on five strikeouts.

Unlike Game 1, the Rebels began Game 2 on top when catcher Matthew Morgan drove a solo home run off HBHS starter Jake Mitchell over the left field fence in the bottom of the third inning.

Thorsby added another run in the bottom of the fifth inning behind an RBI from Jace Maddox to take the score to 2-0.

The HBHS bats finally woke up in the top of the seventh inning, when Sandro Cruz beat out a ball hit to shortstop to get the inning going.

Mitchell then helped his own cause by driving in Cruz from first base with a triple to the right field gap to make the score 2-1.

Thorsby called on relief pitcher Shane Beam to slow the Generals’ bats, but it was to no avail as Horseshoe Bend took a 6-2 lead in the inning.

Thorsby wouldn’t go away quietly in the bottom of the seventh as Jason Price was able to drive in two runs for the Rebels to take the score to 6-4.

The Rebels were then able to add one more run before Mitchell struck out the final Thorsby batter to end the game.

The teams will play a decisive Game 3 at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

From Staff Reports

The Alabama High School Athletic Association has postponed all upcoming playoff events until Monday, May 2, Executive Director Steve Savarese said in a Thursday release.

The postponement will affect Thorsby’s baseball team, which was scheduled to begin a second round playoff series Friday.

The postponement of events resulted from the devastation left by the storms that raced throughout Central and North Alabama Wednesday and left many schools damaged and without power.

The Class 6A, 4A and 5A state tennis tournaments currently underway at Mobile and Montgomery will continue as scheduled and will be completed Friday.

Jemison’s boys tennis team is competing in the 4A tournament in Mobile.

The decision was made according to the AHSAA Championship Interruption Policy established by the Central Board of Control.

“We think it is important at this time to allow all our students, teachers and families to concentrate their efforts toward the more immediate needs caused by this catastrophe that has affected so many,” said Savarese.

Contests will resume according to each individual sport format.

An outline of each sports playoff revised schedule is as follows:

•Track and field: All section meets will be Monday and Tuesday, May 2-3, with qualifiers advancing to the state meet Friday and Saturday, May 6-7.

•Soccer: For Class 6A, the first round will be played Tuesday, May 3; the second round on Friday, May 6; and the third round, Monday, May 9.

For Classes 1A-4A and 5A, the original schedule will be followed with first-round games, Tuesday, May 3; and second-round games, Saturday, May 7.

The state tournament will be held May 13-14 at Huntsville as scheduled.

•Baseball: Second-round series will be played Monday, May 2, with a third game Tuesday, May 3, if needed.

The third round will be played Friday and Saturday, May 6-7, as scheduled. If the third-round series involves a team that cannot complete its second-round series by the end of the day Tuesday, the third round series will be played with two games, Saturday, May 7, and a third game if needed on Monday, May 9.

Thorsby will visit Horseshoe Bend for games at 3 and 5:30 p.m. Monday and 3 p.m. Tuesday.

•Softball: Area tournaments may be played between Monday, May 2, and Saturday, May 7.

•Golf: Delayed section golf tournaments will be rescheduled beginning Monday, May 2, based on golf course availability.

Sub-State tournaments will be played as originally scheduled unless affected by the delayed section tournaments.

The revised golf tournament schedule will be posted on the AHSAA website when confirmed.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Behind ace pitcher Cody Carroll and a stingy defense, Thorsby has been adept all season long at keeping runs off the scoreboard.

On Friday, the Rebels baseball team showed it also has an offense that can win games in the second season: the Class 2A state playoffs.

After hitting 14 home runs during the entire regular season, THS slugged half that amount in two wins (13-2 in five innings, and 6-1) over Reeltown.

With the wins, Thorsby advanced to the second round of the playoffs, where the Rebels will face the winner of the Isabella-Horseshoe Bend series.

The first homer of the day was off the bat of catcher Matt Morgan, who drove a towering shot over the fence in left-center field.

Carroll, in the second inning, did some damage with the bat instead of his arm, nailing a two-run home run that cleared the fence close to where Morgan’s went over.

Stephen Mims then made it back-to-back homers to give THS a 5-0 lead.

Thorsby No. 3 hitter in the lineup, Jace Maddox, walked to the plate in the fourth inning wanting an opportunity to show what he could do, after having been walked in the first inning and hit by a pitch in the second.

This time, Maddox got in on the home run act with a blast that also scored Morgan’s courtesy runner, Stuart Scott.

Just in case there was any doubt, Maddox ended the game early one inning later with a homer that scored Scott again and pushed Thorsby over the 10-run threshold necessary to invoke the mercy rule.

Maddox had Thorsby’s best day at the plate, hitting two home runs in two at-bats with four runs batted in and three runs scored.

Blake Elkins went 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI.

Bo Hoffman also hit a two-run homer, in the fourth inning. Hoffman’s homer scored Jason Price.

Carroll earned the win on the mound, allowing one run on five hits and one walk in four innings pitched while striking out five.

Morgan relieved Carroll and allowed one run on two hits in the fifth inning.

Price got in on the fun in Game 2, hitting a home run in the seventh inning to put the game away.

Mims pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits and seven walks and striking out three.

Shane Beam relieved Mims and pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Beam entered the game with two outs and the bases loaded. A deep fly ball scored Shelby Flurry, but the THS defense was able to get out another Reeltown baserunner to end the inning.

Price went 2-for-3 with two runs scored; and Hoffman went 3-for-3 with a double, a triple, one run scored and three RBI.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Thorsby’s baseball team defeated Maplesville, 12-10, on Wednesday in a game of wild momentum swings.

Visiting Maplesville took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but Thorsby stormed back for five runs in the second and extended the lead to 9-2 in the third.

MHS cut it to 9-7 in the fourth and tied the game at 10 in the sixth.

Brantley Maddox and Wesley Smitherman scored for the hosts in the bottom of the sixth, and Cody Carroll—who came on in relief in the fourth inning—pitched a perfect seventh for the win.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Thorsby’s Cody Carroll is one of the best pitchers in the state’s 2A classification, and he had extra motivation in Friday’s game against Isabella.

The result: Carroll pitched the first perfect game—no hits or walks allowed—of his varsity career as the fourth-ranked Rebels clinched their third consecutive area championship with a 16-0, five-inning win.

Coach Ab Argent said he could tell before the game began that Carroll, who played pre-varsity baseball at Isabella, was focused and had his best stuff.

Still, Argent said it’s a rarity for a pitcher to toss a perfect game, especially against area competition.

“He’s the type of pitcher that gets stronger as the game goes on,” Argent said. “It takes him awhile to get loose. But it was Isabella, and he wanted the ball.”

Carroll struck out nine of the 15 batters he faced.

Only two Isabella hitters, Andrew Smith and Trey Calfee, got the ball out of the infield. Both lifted fly balls to right fielder Jace Maddox in the third inning.

Thorsby (24-5), meanwhile, scored early and often, putting up two runs in the bottom of the first inning, nine runs in the second and three in the third.

Carroll also went 2-for-3 at the plate with three runs batted in and two runs scored.

Jason Price went 3-for-3 with a walk, two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored.

Matt Morgan, Maddox and Blake Elkins also each had a double.

THS clinches its area championship with the win. The Rebels will host the first round of the state playoffs on April 22-23.

From Staff Reports

Thorsby stayed perfect in baseball area play with a 7-0 win over Isabella on Tuesday.

The Rebels are now 22-5 overall and 6-0 in area games with one remaining, against Isabella on Friday.

The Mustangs, meanwhile, dropped to 2-1 in area play with four games remaining.

Cody Carroll and Matt Morgan combined to shut out IHS on Tuesday.

Carroll allowed two hits in six innings while striking out 12 batters.

Morgan struck out two in one inning pitched.

Austin Haigler suffered the loss for Isabella.

Thorsby’s Parker Bryan went 3-for-3 with a sacrifice and a run batted in.

Morgan went 2-for-2 at the plate with two walks and one RBI.

Jace Maddox went 2-for-4, and Stephen Mims finished 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.

Bo Hoffman hit a home run in the seventh inning.

From Staff Reports

Thorsby finished a perfect 4-0 in tournament games with wins Friday over Leeds (10-4) and West Blocton (15-9).

Cody Carroll gave the Rebels an effective start on the mound in the first game, holding the visitors to six hits and two walks in seven innings while striking out nine.

Matt Morgan and Jason Price both went 3-for-3 in the game. Price also walked once and scored two runs.

Stuart Scott and Wesley Smitherman both had multiple-hit games and each also walked. Scott scored two runs, and Smitherman crossed home plate three times.

Bo Hoffman started the second game of the day for THS, and Price was effective in relief, holding West Blocton to one run on one hit and one walk in 1 2/3 innings pitched until the game was called due to darkness.

Parker Bryan had three hits in three at-bats, scoring three runs.

Brantley Maddox Morgan both also had multi-hit performances.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

A seven-run third inning allowed Thorsby to open the Chilton County Spring Break Tournament with a 12-4 win over Montevallo on Thursday.

Montevallo held a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the second inning thanks to two solo home runs off THS starting pitcher Shane Beam, but the Rebels added onto Jace Maddox’s solo homer with three runs in the bottom of the second thanks to two MHS errors with two outs.

In the bottom of the third, Thorsby scored seven runs on five hits, one walk and one Montevallo error. The most significant hit was a bases clearing double by Maddox with one out.

The Rebels added their final run in the sixth inning on a single by Wesley Smitherman.

Beam earned the win, holding Montevallo to three runs, two of which were earned, in four innings on five hits and two walks while striking out six.

The Spring Break Tournament will continue Friday as Montevallo and Verbena visit Isabella for three games, and Leeds and West Blocton visit Thorsby.

Action at both locations will begin at 11 a.m.

Baseball

Class 6A

1. Fairhope (11-0)

2. Spain Park (14-6)

3. Baldwin County (12-2)

4. Buckhorn (11-1)

5. Pelham (10-4)

6. Northview (11-2)

7. Grissom (12-4)

8. Auburn (9-4)

9. Thompson (14-7)

10. Oxford (12-2

Class 5A

1. Cullman (9-5)

2. Hueytown (13-1)

3. Spanish Fort (8-4)

4. Rehobeth (10-1)

5. Mortimer Jordan (12-1)

6. Russellville (15-3)

7. Charles Henderson (8-6)

8. Hartselle (5-8)

9. Athens (12-0)

10. Boaz (11-5)

Class 4A

1. Bibb County (7-2)

2. UMS-Wright (6-5)

3. Jacksonville (8-1)

4. Straughn (11-3)

5. Oneonta (7-1)

6. Deshler (8-4)

7. Alexandria (6-4)

8. Brooks (10-2)

9. St. James (10-3)

10. Wilson (7-2)

Class 3A

1. Hokes Bluff (10-2)

2. Sheffield (11-6)

3. Madison Academy (4-6)

4. Lauderdale County (11-4)

5. Trinity (9-5)

6. Excel (8-2)

7. White Plains (8-3)

8. Vinemont (8-3)

9. Marbury (8-3)

10. Carbon Hill (10-4)

Class 2A

1. Mars Hill Bible (8-3)

2. Leroy (12-1)

3. Wicksburg (11-2)

4. Westbrook Christian (7-4)

5. Thorsby (8-3)

6. G.W. Long (10-2)

7. Cottage Hill Christian (10-4)

8. Sumiton Christian (8-5)

9. Ider (9-1)

10. Tanner (5-1)

Class 1A

1. Shoals Christian (5-8)

2. Athens Bible (4-3)

3. Fayetteville (7-3)

4. Spring Garden (8-6)

5. Vina (6-1)

6. Sweet Water (3-4)

7. Hackleburg (4-2)

8. Cedar Bluff (8-5)

9. St. Luke’s (5-1)

10. Collinsville (5-1)

Softball

Class 6A

1. Sparkman (10-0)

2. Northview (16-3)

3. Dothan (14-3-1)

4. Vestavia Hills (15-2)

5. Fairhope (10-2)

6. Oak Mountain (12-2)

7. Baker (14-3)

8. Hoover (14-6)

9. Theodore (10-3)

10. Tuscaloosa County (5-7)

Class 5A

1. Hueytown (19-3)

2. Athens (6-3)

3. Cullman (15-4)

4. Moody (11-2)

5. Hartselle (13-1)

6. Mortimer Jordan (3-2)

7. Faith Academy (7-1)

8. Walker (7-2)

9. Scottsboro (10-3)

10. Muscle Shoals (8-1)

Class 4A

1. Alexandria (16-3)

2. Dallas County (12-1)

3. Alabama Christian (13-2)

4. Ardmore (4-2)

5. Cherokee County (6-1)

6. Straughn (8-4)

7. Ashford (9-3)

8. Wilson (5-1)

9. Corner (5-8)

10. Springville (6-4)

Class 3A

1. White Plains (10-1)

2. Pisgah (7-4-1)

3. Winfield (4-1)

4. Excel (13-5)

5. Elkmont (2-0)

6. Opp (8-2)

7. Glencoe (4-3)

8. New Hope (4-5)

9. Madison Academy (10-3)

10. Sardis (10-4)

Class 2A

1. Sumiton Christian (13-2)

2. Hatton (10-2-1)

3. Sand Rock (6-1)

4. Lexington (5-0)

5. Ider (4-4)

6. American Christian (7-5)

7. Mobile Christian (11-3)

8. Leroy (9-3)

9. Colbert Heights (8-1)

10. Red Bay (2-1)

Class 1A

1. Lynn (7-1-1)

2. Ragland (2-3)

3. Kinston (8-3)

4. Parrish (5-0)

5. Spring Garden (5-2)

6. Addison (3-3)

7. South Lamar (2-0)

8. Collinsville (6-2)

9. Sweet Water (4-1)

10. Maplesville (4-2)

–Compiled by the Alabama Sports Writers Association