GOOD HOPE, Ala. – After advancing with semifinal wins earlier in the day, Fairview and West Point clashed in the County Tournament Championship Game at Good Hope High School Saturday night. The Aggies took an early lead in the third inning and held off a late push from the Warriors to end West Point’s six-year reign as county champs and claim their first county title since 2017.
Aggies Head Coach Nick Dumas was proud of his team for hanging on to seal the win at the end and is excited to bring some hardware back home to Fairview.
“I’m extremely proud. I felt like we had a chance two years ago and lost a 1-run game to them and then last year I felt like we had a chance to win it and then had some weather come in and that kind of threw a wrench into things. West Point has set the standard for the last six years and we knew we would have to go through them to bring it back to Fairview,” Dumas said. “I’m proud of the way our guys battled today. We faced some adversity there late and we were able to get out of it and hang on. I couldn’t be more proud of our seniors. They haven’t had one so to be able to go out with a county championship means a lot to them and it means a lot to me.”
Both teams combined for just two base runners in the first two innings, but the Aggies put some runs on the board in the bottom of the third. Collin Nelson singled up the middle and Lincoln Wright drew a walk to give Fairview a pair of runners. After they both advanced on a wild pitch later in the inning, Camden Cullen punched a 2-run single into center field to plate two runs and give the Aggies a 2-0 lead going into the fourth.
After a scoreless fourth inning, Fairview added to its lead in the bottom of the fifth. Nic Gregory and Connor Scott each drew walks to reach base and later in the inning, Gregory came around to score on a wild pitch to stretch the lead to 3-0. West Point applied some pressure in the top of the sixth. Back to back singles from Skylar Echols and Boston Freeman put runners on the corners and three pitches later, an error allowed Echols to score and cut the lead to 3-1. Another Aggie error allowed Freeman to cross the plate later in the inning and made it a 3-2 game going into the bottom of the sixth.
Down to their final three outs in the top half of the seventh, the Warriors were unable to put any more runs on the board and Fairview secured its first county championship in eight years.
Jaxon Robertson went the distance on the mound, giving up zero earned runs, allowing just hits and striking out six to earn Tournament MVP honors. Cullen finished with a pair of hits and RBIs in the win and Nelson and Scott added hits as well.
Freeman, Echols, Cooper Howard and Cade Welborn each posted hits in the loss.
All-County Tournament Team
Jaxson Robertson, Fairview (MVP)
Colton Jennings, Fairview
Konnor Duncan, Fairview
Cooper Howard, West Point
Boston Freeman, West Point
Parker Johnson, Good Hope
Case Naramore, Good Hope
Jake Hale, Vinemont
Josh Rhodes, Vinemont
Mason Gable, Cold Springs
Sawyer Olinger, Holly Pond
Hunter Weeks, Hanceville
Fairview 3 – Vinemont 2 (Semifinals)
It was a pitcher’s duel in the opening game between Vinemont and Fairview, and the game would be decided in the seventh inning.
Vinemont loaded the bases with one out in its opening at-bats, but Colton Jennings got a strikeout and a fly out to get out of the inning unscathed. The Eagles looked to get the first run of the game in the top of the second. Tucker Mauter hit a one-out single, then with two outs, Jake Hale hit a double to center field. A great throw from Lincoln Wright to Jackson Earnest nailed Mauter at the plate, as the game would remain scoreless going into the third inning.
Vinemont loaded the bases once again in the top of the third, and a suicide squeeze play by Hayden Robinson gave them a 1-0 lead. From the bottom of the third to the top of the sixth, a combined four batters reached base for both teams. Fairview got a two-out rally started in the bottom of the sixth. Conner Scott got things started with a walk, and Camden Cullen reached on an error to put runners on the corners. Earnest hit an RBI single to tie the game up at one.
Hale reached on an error to lead off the seventh for the Eagles. A ground ball moved him over to second, and three pitches later, Kayden Henderson hit an RBI single to left field to give them a 2-1 lead. Fairview looked to respond in their final at-bats. Konnor Dunkin hit a single to right field, and an error on the same play allowed him to move up 90 more feet to second base. Nicolas Gregory reached on another error to put runners on the corners with one out. Gregory advanced to second on a wild pitch, and Collin Nelson quickly ended things three pitches later as his walk-off two-run single up the middle gave the Aggies the 3-2 win over Vinemont.
Nelson (walk-off two-run single) and Earnest (RBI) each finished with a hit for Fairview, and Dunkin added a pair of hits. Jennings and Gregory combined to give up just four hits and no earned runs, walked one, and struck out five. For Vinemont, Henderson (one hit) and Robinson each drove in a run in the loss, while Hale and Owen McKinney each collected a hit in the game. The duo of Josh Rhodes and Banks Borwick gave up just four hits and no earned runs, walked three, and struck out four.
West Point 8 – Good Hope 3 (Semifinals)
Good Hope struck first in its opening at-bats. Mason Drake hit a one-out single and later scored on an error to give the Raiders the early lead. West Point got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second. They loaded the bases to lead off the inning, and Skylar Echols drew a walk to tie the game up at one. Back-to-back sacrifice flies by Boston Freeman and Titan Thornton gave the Warriors a 3-1 lead.
Good Hope put runners on first and second with two outs in the top of the third, and a two-run single by Micah Rickel tied things up at three. The score would remain the same until the bottom of the fourth inning. West Point loaded the bases once again, and Charlie Ashley got hit by the pitch to force home a run. Jay Lamar followed that up with an RBI single up the middle, and Cade Welborn added a sacrifice fly to put the Warriors ahead 6-3. West Point added to their lead in their next at-bats.
The Warriors put runners on second and third to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning. Freeman hit an RBI single up the middle, and on the next pitch, an error allowed Echols to score to extend their lead to 8-3. Freeman finished off Good Hope in the top of the seventh inning, and West Point punched their ticket to the county championship game with an 8-3 win over the Raiders.
Freeman finished with a hit and two RBIs for the Warriors. Echols (two hits), Lamar (one hit), Welborn (one hit), Thornton, and Ashley all drove in a run in the win. Freeman went the distance for West Point, as he gave up six hits and two earned runs, walked two, and struck out five. For Good Hope, Rickel finished with a hit and two RBIs. Parker Johnson and Mason Drake each added a pair of hits, while Carter Rutherford collected a hit of his own in the loss.
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