In or out? Wadley upset bid falls just short; playoff spots for RCHS and Woodland to be decided Thursday
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RCHS second baseman Bo Moore fields a ground ball during the Tigers’ 8-2 loss to Wellborn Tuesday in Wedowee.
The baseball games that Woodland and RCHS played Tuesday didn’t decide anything. But they did set the stage for a climactic finish to the 2026 regular season on Thursday.
Meanwhile Wadley very nearly pulled a landscape altering upset before they were ultimately swept by Fayetteville and eliminated from playoff contention in their Tuesday doubleheader.
That leaves RCHS and Woodland with games Thursday that will decide whether they make the playoffs or are left out of the postseason.
Here’s the breakdown, team by team, of what happened Tuesday and what’s on the line Thursday.
RCHS
What happened Tuesday: The Tigers lost 8-2 to Wellborn as they managed just three hits off of Panthers starter Tanner Ingram. Ingram went six innings and struck out 11 while also issuing three walks.
RCHS scored a run in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single by Sawyer Hester to cut the Panther lead to 5-2. But Wellborn scored three runs in the top of the seventh, and RCHS couldn’t muster a run in the bottom half despite loading the bases with no one out.
Bryant Lee also went 1-for-3 with an RBI for the Tigers.
What’s on the line Thursday: RCHS needs to sweep Thursday’s doubleheader at Wellborn in order to overtake the Panthers in the standings and secure the No. 2 seed in Class 3A, Area 9. If the Tigers lose either game, that will end their playoff hopes and Wellborn will be the No. 2 seed.
RCHS plays at Wellborn, with the first game scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.
Woodland
What happened Tuesday: The Bobcats pulled off a dramatic 4-3 win at Winterboro to move to within one win of locking down a playoff berth.
Woodland fell behind 3-1 after five innings, but the Bobcats rallied to tie it in the top of the sixth. Tripp Morin doubled home a run to cut the lead to 3-2 and eventually advanced to third base with two outs. Asher Williams, who only recently returned to the lineup after suffering a knee injury during football season, then got his first hit of the season to drive in Morin and tie the game.
Brodie Carter scored the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh on a wild pitch after he had reached base on a walk.
The bottom of the seventh wasn’t without drama for Woodland as Winterboro got a leadoff double and a hit batter with one out to put runners at first and second. But pitcher Paxton Gowens induced a line-drive double play to end the game and keep Woodland in control of its own destiny heading into Thursday.
Woodland managed just four hits in the game, but Morin went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and the Bobcats benefited from six walks as well.
Smith pitched four innings to start the game and gave up five hits and an unearned run while striking out three. Gowens pitched the final three innings and gave up two unearned runs on three hits and struck out three.
What’s on the line Thursday: Winterboro comes to Woodland to close out the series. The two teams will play a doubleheader if necessary. If Woodland wins either game, the Bobcats will secure the No. 2 seed in Class 1A, Area 8.
Woodland will host Winterboro, with the first game scheduled to start at 4 p.m.
Wadley
What happened Tuesday: Wadley lost to Fayetteville 12-0 in the first game of their doubleheader as the Bulldogs managed just two Jaylon Marable hits in five innings against Fayetteville pitcher Brenton Cantrell. A lot of folks may have expected the second game to follow a similar trajectory, but Wadley had different ideas before eventually falling 5-4.
Had Wadley pulled off the upset, they could have gotten in the playoffs with a Woodland loss to Winterboro Thursday. And Landon Gilliland very nearly gave them that opportunity.
With Gilliland on the mound from the start, Wadley entered the bottom of the sixth inning with a 4-2 lead. That was thanks to a 4-run top of the sixth that was kickstarted by a clutch, game-tying 2-run single by Gilliland. Wadley later added two more runs on a pair of wild pitches that scored Brody Morgan and Gilliland.
But Fayetteville rallied to tie it the bottom of the sixth and pushed a run across in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly to win it.
Gilliland finished 2-for-2 with a walk and two RBI at the plate and limited Fayetteville to three earned runs while scattering nine hits and two walks.
