Mobile Christian bumps Sweet Water from playoffs

SWEET WATER – The Sweet Water Bulldogs exited the first round of the State Class 2A playoffs Friday evening, mustering a single run over 14 innings while falling to Mobile Christian 4-0 and 2-1.

“We knew they had two very good pitchers and we would have to beat one of them to have a chance to advance,” said Sweet Water head coach Kevin Byrd. “Their pitchers did a good job, but we had some opportunities and we left some runners stranded, especially in the first game. That’s just baseball.”

Mobile Christian hurler Connor McVay held the Bulldogs to five hits in the opener. Danny Nevils, Tra Pritchett, Tate Gibbs and Demarcus Gamble each had singles with Brett Davis adding a double for Sweet Water. Meanwhile, Mobile Christian punched a run across in the third, added two more in the fifth and another in the sixth to take the 4-0 win and put Sweet Water’s back against the wall going into the nightcap.

In the second contest, Sweet Water, the visiting team, grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first on Pritchett and Davis singles, a hit batsman and a perfectly executed squeeze bunt by Nevils. However, Mobile Christian countered with two runs in the bottom of the first, and Sweet Water’s Harris Etheridge and MCHS’ Kade Suther then settled into a pitchers’ duel. Davis relieved Etheridge in the fifth and held Mobile Christian scoreless the rest of the way, while Suther went the distance for Mobile Christian.

In the second contest, Pritchett, Trayun Jones and Gamble each contributed a single, while Davis went 2-for-3.

SWHS ends the season at 17-16. “We exceeded some expectations this year,” said Byrd. “We beat some people that a lot of folks thought we shouldn’t be on the field with. Part of that was a lot of young guys stepping up, but our seniors did a good job, too. They will be missed.”