Wadley sweeps Winterboro; clinch tie for area crown

ALPINE – The 6th-ranked Wadley Bulldogs earned at least a tie for first place in class 1A, Area 7 as they swept Winterboro in dominant fashion on Tuesday of last week.

Wadley (6-2, 3-0) opened the afternoon with a 5-inning 20-0 pasting of the host Bulldogs. Brandon Brown pitched a complete-game 1-hitter to pick up the win. He did not walk a batter and struck out 10 to earn his first victory of the season.

The Wadley offense erupted for 17 hits in the contest, led by leadoff man Zack McGill’s 4-for-4 performance. McGill had two triples and a double among his four hits and scored three runs.

Jimbo Stephens also had a perfect four hits in four at-bats. Brown aided his cause with a 3-for-4 effort, and Colby Norred had a double and a single in three trips to the plate and scored two runs for Wadley.

The second game was more of the same as Jim Bailey pitched three innings to pick up his fourth win of the season without a loss as Wadley cruised to a 19-5 win. Bailey surrendered just one hit and one walk, and eight of the nine outs that he registered were strikeouts.

Bailey helped himself at the plate with a 2-run, inside-the-park home run as one of his four hits on the game. He cranked three doubles in his other at-bats and scored four runs.

Jimbo Stephens got his first home run of the season, also of the inside-the-park variety.

Cody McClurg and Norred each went 3-for-3 at the plate.

Zack McGill took the hill in the fourth inning and struck out four batters in the final two innings.

The sweep puts the Bulldogs in control of their own destiny in the area.

Beulah 11, Wadley 7

Beulah, highly ranked in class 2A, came up with four runs in the final inning to break a 7-7 tie and hand the Bulldogs’ their third loss of the season. Wadley remains unbeaten in area play, however.

Wadley took a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Jim Bailey’s 3-run homer over the left field wall. Beulah battled back and surged to a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the third, taking advantage of poor defensive play by the Bulldogs.

In the top of the sixth Wadley rallied to tie the game at 7 on another Bailey home run. This one sailed over the center field wall and was good for two runs.

Wadley will host Lineville next Monday at 4:00 p.m.