SPRING GARDEN – Spring Garden baseball coach Tony Benefield says his team drives him crazy sometimes. He didn’t get much sleep Friday night after the fourth-ranked Panthers split their Class 2A second round playoff doubleheader with Falkville.
The Panthers about drove Benefield out of his mind again on Saturday afternoon. They trailed the Blue Devils by six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Spring Garden made an improbable and dramatic rally – thanks in large part to seniors Ryley Kirk, Weston Kirk and Luke Welsh – to take a 10-9 decision and advance to next weekend’s third round.
A relieved Benefield said he would sleep better Saturday night.
“This team goes with these seniors,” he said. “They’ll tell you they didn’t have a very good day today, but they just put it on their shoulders there at the end and they responded. They’ve been leading this team all year. When the time comes, they get it done. They got it done today. Every one of them did. I’m proud of them.
“I love this team. They drive me crazy, but I love them.”
The Panthers (24-14) will now host sixth-ranked Mars Hill Bible (23-13) in a three-game series beginning on Friday. The Panthers from Florence ended Spring Garden’s record football season in the state semifinals last year. They also brought their baseball season to an end in the state semifinals two years ago.
Mars Hill swept West End in other second-round baseball playoff action on Friday.
But before Spring Garden could turn its attention to Mars Hill, the Panthers had some rallying to do to dispose of Falkville.
Trailing 8-2 in the bottom of the sixth, the Panthers sent 14 batters to the plate and scored eight runs to take a 10-8 lead. The biggest hits of the inning came from Ryley Kirk, Weston Kirk and Luke Welsh.
After a two-run double to left center by Chaz Pope to make it an 8-5 game, Ryley Kirk connected on a two-run single down the left field line to cut the Blue Devil lead to a run at 8-7.
“I just felt like I had to keep my team going,” Ryley Kirk said. “They had already got a couple of runs, so I felt like I had to do what I had to do. He (Falkville starting pitcher Dawson Fowler) threw me a pitch in there and I got the bat on the ball. It turned out good for us.”
Weston Kirk then doubled to left center to score Ryley Kirk first and tie the game at 8.
“I knew I couldn’t let Ryley out-do me that inning,” Weston Kirk joked. “I knew if he got a hit I had to get a hit too. It turned out to be one of the biggest hits of the game. It scored him to tie the game and keep the game going.”
But the Panthers weren’t done.
Luke Welsh, who popped up to short to lead off the inning, followed with a double off the center field fence to score Weston Kirk, giving the Panthers the lead at 9-8.
“I just got on a knee and asked God ‘if you ever let me hit one, please let it be right now,'” Luke Welsh said. “I just stuck it out there and got one over the center fielder. I about had a come apart, but it put us ahead. We had a rough day, but in the end we won.”
Designated hitter Grayden Guthrie’s single to right center scored Welsh for an important insurance run, but the Blue Devils didn’t back down.
They loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh on Panther reliever Jackson Maddox. They managed to score a run, but Maddox got second baseman Camden Reid to line out to center to end the game.
Shortstop Landon Gowens went 3-for-4 at the plate. Center fielder Chaz Pope had a pair of doubles, drove in three runs and scored a run. Left fielder Chapel Pope and catcher Welsh both doubled and walked.
Catcher Peyton Salle led Falkville at the plate with a two-run homer to left in the sixth, drove in another run in the seventh on a fielder’s choice, singled to right in the fifth and walked twice.
First baseman Colton Hooper went 3-for-4 with a RBI. Reid had a pair of singles and a pair of RBIs. Center fielder Wyatt King singled, walked and had a RBI. Shortstop Caden Burnett singled and walked twice. Designated hitter Kole Fitzgerald finished with a single and a walk.
Fowler was cruising right along until sixth. He was relieved after 5 2/3 innings in favor of Kaden Bennett, who suffered the loss.
Maddox earned the win in relief of starter Cam Welsh. Maddox relieved him in the fifth and finished with three strikeouts.
“Falkville’s a very good team and we respect them. They played the whole series,” Benefield said. “They drove back up here today to win, but you can’t count our guys out.
“This is the most competitive group of seniors I’ve ever had. Sometimes I mistake competitiveness for disrespect because they’re so competitive. Sometimes I miss on that, but I love them. They’re like my kids. You’re going to love them no matter what they do.”
“I don’t want to take off this SG uniform yet,” Weston Kirk said. “My brother (Easton) text me before the game and said ‘Make sure this isn’t your last game ever to put on that Spring Garden uniform.’ I text him back and said ‘I got you big bro.’ I want to go at least three more weeks. I want three more weeks in this uniform before I’m done.”