Russellville baseball competes in Gulf Coast Classic
By Brannon King / For the FCT
For many high school students, spring break is a time to relax and take a trip to the beach. The RHS baseball team found a way to combine some time on the coast with a few games while participating in the Gulf Coast Classic.
Hackleburg 6, Russellville 4
Day two of the Classic took place at Coastal Alabama Community College in Bay Minette, and it featured a matchup between two schools that rarely meet on the playing field, despite their close proximity.
The talented Panthers used a four-run third inning to set the pace and took the victory against their neighbors from Russellville. Both schools are ranked in their respective classifications, and both have successful baseball pasts.
Russellville picked up seven hits in the contest, with Landon Ezzell and Brock Malone leading the team with two each. Devin Buckhalter, Rudy Fernandez and Houston Kitterman all added singles. Ezzell had a double and two RBIs, while Hunter Briles also drove in a run.
Tom Barkley Scott and Kitterman did the pitching for RHS.
Normal West (Ill.) 6, Russellville 2
The second game of the day March 27 saw the Wildcats from Normal, Ill., take on the Golden Tigers in the Gulf Coast Classic.
Russellville was outhit in the contest by a 12-3 total with Buckhalter’s triple being a bright spot for RHS. Jeff Lloyd had an RBI, and so did Fernandez, to go along with a hit and a stolen base. Noah Gist had two steals, and Caden Parker added a single and a run scored.
RHS got pitching from Ezzell and Tanner James. Ezzell got the start and was relieved by James, who came on to pitch the final two innings. He allowed no runs and two hits.
Russellville 20, Fairhope 15
It was a shootout on the eastern shore March 28 as the Golden Tigers wrapped up their trip with a battle against the Pirates on their home field.
After only two innings of play, Russellville held an 8-7 advantage, but the two teams’ bats were just getting started. In the bottom of the fifth, the Golden Tigers found themselves in a 12-12 tie, but RHS pulled ahead for good with six runs in the sixth and five more in the seventh.
Fernandez and Ezzell both homered twic,e with one of the Fernandez home runs being a grand slam. Jaret Ward had a double, and four RHS batters were hit by Fairhope pitches.
Kitterman went four-for-five at the plate, and he was joined in the hit column by Ezzell (3), Fernandez (2), Malone (2), Buckhalter (2), Gist (1) and Lloyd (1). Parker, Ward, Madden and Malone did the pitching for Russellville.
Russellville 4, Arab 3
The Golden Tigers returned home and swept a double header Saturday against the Knights. The two teams met for the first time since RHS eliminated Arab in last season’s playoffs.
It took eight innings for RHS to win game one with a walk-off single to right-center by senior Malone. Fernandez got the start on the mound and pitched five innings, allowing one run before Ward came on to finish the game.
Hits by RHS came from Malone (2), Fernandez (2), Kitterman (1) and Parker (1). The Fernandez hit was a double.
Russellville 3, Arab 0
Parker continued his good work on the mound so far this season with seven strong innings Saturday to get the shutout and complete the sweep of the Knights. He allowed three hits and only threw 57 pitches to grab the win.
“Keeping them to a minimum of runs was huge,” Russellville head coach Chris Heaps said. “Parker doesn’t have a lot of velocity, but he’s just crafty and keeps guys off-balance.” Heaps also gave kudos to the defensive performance of his third baseman, Kitterman.
Russellville (17-9) had six hits, by Kitterman (2), Malone (2), Fernandez (1) and Parker (1). Fernandez left the game in the first inning after singling home a run and injuring his ankle near the first base bag.
With big area games coming up against Brooks, Heaps said he is hopeful Fernandez will have a quick recovery. “Hopefully, we can get Rudy back in shape where he can perform and pitch for us,” Heaps said.
