Lions advance to area playoff
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions took the first step in the Class 2A baseball playoffs last week, sweeping their bi-district series against Winters at Abilene Cooper.
The Lions (15-4) won the series opener 11-4 on Friday, May 6, then completed the sweep with a 12-0 victory in Game 2 on Saturday, May 7.
“We had a great weekend,” coach David Fairchild said. “The boys were focused and played well.”
Albany will play Eldorado in the area round. Game 1 of the series will be at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, May 12 (today) at ACU’s Crutcher Scott Field. Game 2 is set for noon Saturday, May 14 at San Angelo Central’s Nathan Donsky Field, with game 3, if necessary, to follow.
Fairchild credited Albany’s pitching with making the difference against Winters. In the series opener, Cole Chapman struck out 10 batters over 6.1 innings with Zane Waggoner getting the last two outs, both by strikeout. In the second games, Cole Read struck out five in 5.1 innings before Cooper Fairchild got two outs to complete the shutout.
“It started with two good pitching performances by Cole Chapman and Cole Read,” the coach said. “I was very pleased with our two starting pitchers. Pitching is the key to success for this baseball team.”
In Game 1, Chapman was in charge on the mound, and Read drove in three runs.
Caden Price went 3 for 4 with two RBIs, Read 2 for 4, and Waggoner 2 for 3 with an RBI. Chapman and Cason Fairchild were both 1 for 2 with an RBI.
Albany took the lead for good in the first inning on Waggoner’s RBI triple and Chapman’s sacrifice fly, then pulled away in the third with Price singling in a run and Read tripling with the bases loaded.
Price added another run-scoring hit in the fifth, then the Lions put the game away with four runs in the sixth. A balk and an error contributed to three runs before Cason Fairchild added an RBI single.
Chapman was charged with three earned runs on five hits and five walks before reaching his pitch limit. Waggoner struck out two of the three batters he faced to finish up.
In Game 2, Read blanked the Blizzards on four hits over 5.1 innings, and Albany invoked the 10-run rule with a six-run outburst in the sixth.
Read preserved the shutout despite allowing a leadoff triple in the first, and stranded five runners in scoring position.
Cooper Fairchild was 4 for 5 with three RBIs to lead the Lions at the plate. He needed just five pitches to record the final two outs on the mound.
Price was 2 for 2 with two RBIs, and Tyler Chapman had a two-run triple. Eight Albany batters had hits and RBIs.
Cole Chapman drove in the only run Albany needed in the first, and Price singled in two runs in the third. The Lions doubled the lead in the fifth on Tyler Chapman’s triple and Cooper Fairchild’s RBI single.
In the sixth, Cason Fairchild doubled in a run, Read had an RBI single, Coy Lefevre drove in a run on a fielder’s choice, Cooper Fairchild singled in two runs, and Waggoner added another run-scoring double.
“Cooper came out in Game 1 and wasn’t very comfortable at the plate,” the coach said. “He came out in Game 2 and went 4 for 5.”
Price finished the series 5 for 6, while Waggoner was 4 for 6.
“We got the bats moving, and it was an overall good weekend,” David Fairchild said.
BI-DISTRICT PLAYOFF
GAME 1
ALBANY 11, WINTERS 4
SCORE BY INNING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R/H/E
WINTERS 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 4/5/3
ALBANY 2 0 4 0 1 4 X 11/9/3
atbat runs hits RBI
Lefevre 1b 4 2 0 0
CoFairchild cf 4 0 0 0
Waggoner p 3 3 2 1
CChapman 2b 2 2 1 1
CaFairchild 3b 2 1 1 1
Price rf 4 1 3 2
Read ss 4 0 2 3
Ivy lf 3 0 0 0
TChapman dh 2 1 0 0
Totals 28 11 9 8
3B – Waggoner, Read. HBP – CaFairchild. S – Ivy. SF – CChapman. SB – CaFairchild 2, CChapman. CS – Price.
IP H R ER BB SO
CChapman 6.1 5 4 3 5 10
Waggoner 0.2 0 0 0 1 2
WP – CChapman 2. Balk – Waggoner.
GAME 2
ALBANY 12, WINTERS 0
SCORE BY INNING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R/H/E
ALBANY 1 0 2 0 3 6 x 12/13/0
WINTERS 0 0 0 0 0 0 x 0/4/2
atbat runs hits RBI
Lefevre 2b 4 2 1 1
CoFairchild p 5 2 4 3
Waggoner 1b 3 1 2 1
CChapman ss 4 1 1 1
CaFairchild lf 4 1 1 1
Price rf 2 2 2 2
Read 3b 3 1 1 1
Ivy cf 2 0 0 0
Russell ph 0 1 0 0
TChapman dh 3 1 1 2
Totals 30 12 13 12
2B – Waggoner, CaFairchild. 3B – TChapman. SB – Lefevre 2, Waggoner, CChapman, Price 4.
IP H R ER BB SO
Read 5.1 4 0 0 3 5
CoFairchild 0.2 0 0 0 0 1
HBP – Read.
