Marengo Academy sweeps Macon-East in AISA playoffs (with gallery)

LINDEN — Marengo Academy (25-1) swept a two-game set Macon-East Montgomery Thursday afternoon, advancing to the semifinals of the AISA, Class AA state playoffs.

“These guys compete week in and week out. I’m just so proud of them for what they’ve accomplished,” Marengo Academy coach Woodie Beck said.

Marengo Academy 3, Macon-East Montgomery 2

Caleb Broadhead shined in the opener of the double-header as Marengo Academy picked up a walk-off 3-2 win over Macon-East. Broadhead, the Longhorn leadoff man, went 3-for-4 in the contest with a pair of doubles while scoring all three runs for Marengo Academy.

“Caleb presents a problem for a lot of teams because he is so fast and he’s versatile. He can bunt. He can hit. He has really been an addition to our team this year,” Beck said of the sparkplug that ignited his team in game one. “It was probably the third or fourth game before I moved him to leadoff, but he has done a great job. When you’ve got speed at the top and the bottom like we do, it presents a lot of pressure on defenses.”

He ignited the seventh-inning rally by legging out an infield hit and advancing to second on a throwing error. The Longhorns would then load the bases behind Broadhead, bringing Weldon Aydelott to the plate with nobody out. Aydelott hit a chopper to third that led to a throw to the plate. Broadhead got in under the Macon-East catcher to give the Longhorns the 3-2 win.

Broadhead opened the scoring in the first inning when he doubled before reaching home on Aydelott’s RBI sacrifice fly.

Macon-East tied the game in the third when Chapman Dean drove in Dawson Bell. Marengo went up 2-1 in the bottom of the third when Broadhead doubled and scored on a Hayden Huckabee RBI single.

Macon-East knotted the game again in the fifth when Dean stroked a home run well beyond the right field fence.

Huckabee worked six innings on the mound, scattering five hits, a walk and a plunked batsman while allowing one earned run. Brad Collins worked the top of the seventh to qualify for the win.

“All of our pitching today did a great, great job. That’s what kept us in the game. That’s what kept us going. I’m very proud of Huckabee. Brad came in and finished that first game. These kids compete,” Beck said. “That’s one thing I can say about them. They’re gritty. They’re going to compete. Our pitching, I couldn’t have asked for any better.”

Dean countered with a strong performance of his own, working six innings and allowing three earned runs.

“I was expecting that first game to be a battle because we hadn’t faced many lefties this year. That kid did a great job also. Hats off to him,” Beck said.

Huckabee went 2-for-4 in the contest. Robert Tutt was 1-or-4. Andrew Martin went 1-for-3.

Marengo Academy 6, Macon-East Montgomery 0

The Longhorns put four runs on the board in the second inning of the game two, providing more than enough run support to back the dominant outing of David Dunn en route to a 6-0 win.

Dunn struck out four over six innings of work while giving up two hits, walking two and hitting one batter. Adam Sellers finished the game, striking out two in an inning of work that included a pickoff at first base.

Austin Day served as the courtesy runner for Dunn, who walked to open the second. Day scored the game’s first run on a push bunt from Andrew Martin. An error on the play allowed Brad Collins to score for the 2-0 lead. Martin then found his way home on a Hayden Huckabee double. Tutt followed suit with a double of his own to plate Huckabee for the 4-0 advantage.

Marengo added a run in the third when Daniel Pritchett singled and later scored on an error. Pritchett scored again in the fifth on a single by Dunn.

Broadhead and Aydelott each went 1-for-4 in the game. Huckabee was 1-for-3 with a double. Tutt was 1-for-4 with a double. Dunn finished 2-for-3. Martin went 1-for-2.

The lone blemish on the day for the Longhorns came in the form of stranded runners. Marengo left 13 on base over the two games.

“Some of that is my fault. It’s just a poor job on my part,” Beck said. “There’s a couple of situations there I probably should have laid down a bunt instead of letting a hitter hit. It’s things we can fix and that we can work on next week.”

Marengo is set to play again Wednesday in a doubleheader at the winner of South Choctaw and Edgewood.