WEST POINT, Ala. — After splitting their first two games of the season, the West Point Warriors returned home on Thursday night to take on the Sardis Lions in their home opener. It was a pitcher’s duel for the entire game, but West Point quickly got a rally started in its final at-bats and a game-winning RBI single by Cade Simmons helped give the Warriors a 3-2 win over Sardis.
Caiden Rodgers got the start for West Point and gave up a leadoff single, but quickly retired the next three batters to end the top of the first inning. The Warriors went down in order in their opening at-bats, but they got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning. Rodgers led off the inning with a single to right field, then he went to second on a wild pitch. Colton McCoy lined a single to center field and moved to second on the throw-in to put runners on second and third with no outs. One out later, Taylor Curtis, the courtesy runner for Rodgers, scored on a dropped third strike to give West Point a 1-0 lead.
Sardis tied the game on a two-out RBI single in the top of the third inning. Neither team could break the tie, until the top of the fifth inning, as a Warrior error and a two-out walk put runners on first and second with two outs. An RBI single to center field gave Sardis a 2-1 lead; they looked to add to their lead in the top of the sixth inning as back-to-back one-out bunt singles quickly put them in business. One out later, a walk loaded the bases for the Lions, but Aidan Maddox got a huge strikeout to end the Sardis threat.
Eli Folds and Andrew Putman each drew walks in the bottom of the sixth, but Folds got picked off at first and Putman got caught trying to steal second. A strikeout quickly ended the inning for West Point, but after allowing a leadoff single, the Warriors quickly got out of the inning without any problems. West Point quickly got things going in their final at-bats as Rodgers got it all started with a single to right field.
He then advanced to second on a wild pitch and McCoy reached on an error, which allowed Rodgers to move to third on the play. Isaac Hoffpauir got hit by the pitch to load the bases with no outs. Brody Freeman popped out for out number one, but a passed ball allowed Rodgers to score to tie the game up at two. Simmons then promptly ended the game on the next pitch as he hit the game-winning RBI single to right field to give the Warriors a huge 3-2 win in their home opener.
Simmons finished with the game-winning RBI single for West Point (2-1). Rodgers added two hits and McCoy ended up with a hit. Rodgers went five innings, allowing just four hits and two runs (one unearned), walking five and striking out four. The duo of Maddox and Folds gave up just three hits in the final two innings.
West Point will play a doubleheader on Saturday at Decatur against the Red Raiders and Athens, starting at 11 a.m.
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