Lions earn share of district title
After an up-and-down start to the District 8-2A baseball schedule, the Albany Lions madea strong push to the finish, earning a share of the district title last week with run-rule wins at Cisco and Stamford.
Albany (15-2 overall, 8-2 district) will take on Coleman this weekend in a best-of-three bi-district series. Game 1 is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Thursday, May 2 (today) at Cisco College. Game 2 will start at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, May 4 at Stephenville High School. Game 3, if necessary, will be played 30 minutes following the conclusion of Game 2.
Albany started district play 2-2, then won six in a row to catch Stamford for a share of the championship. After a coin flip to determine seeding,the Lions will enter postseason play as 8-2A’s second seed.
“It Was A Great Second Half Of districtplay,”Lions coach David Fairchild said. “The kids came together, and we ran the table.”
On Tuesday, April 23, Albany blanked Cisco 11-0 in five innings. The Lions completed the comeback Friday, April 26 by winning 14-3 in six innings at Stamford, scoring the last 13 runs to overcome a 3-1 deficit.
The Lions extended their win streak to seven games Monday, April 29 by beating Denver City 11-4 in a warmup game at Gail.
At Cisco, Tyler Chapman pitched four shutout innings, giving up only one hit, and went 3 for 3 with a double and two RBIs.
“Tyler had a great night, striking out 11,” Fairchild said.
Albany scored in every inning, starting with an RBI single by Calhan Fairchild, who finished 2 for 4.
Cason Fair child, who was 2 for 4, doubled in two runs in the second. Cole Read, who pitched the fifth inning, followed with an RBI double.
In the third, Chip Chambers and Brody Oliverscored on wild pitches, and Chapman addeda two-rundouble. Zane Waggoner doubled and scored on a balk in the fourth.
The mercy rule was invoked in the fifth when Cason Fairchild and Chambers scored on wild pitches.
Chapman allowed just three base runners, one of whom Oliver threw out at tempting to steal. After a walk in the third, Chapman retired the last four batters.
Read struck out two of the three to end the game.
At Stamford, Albany scored three runs in the fourth, four in the fifth and six in the sixth to rally past the Bulldogs. The Lions totaled 13 hits with five players each getting two. Read and Chapman were both 2 for 4 with a double and three RBIs.
Read struck out seven in going the distance on the mound. He was charged with three unearned runs on four hits. He faced just one batter over the minimum in the last three innings.
Albany pulled even in the fourth on RBI singles by Chapmanand Waggoner, then took the lead in Calhan Fairchild’s hit.
Chambers Leadoff The Fifth with a triple and scored on Mason Mc Cloy’s bunt single. Chapman doubled in two runs and scored on Read’s single to make the lead 8-3.
The Lions sent 11 batters to the plate in the sixth with the first five reaching base. Wood sPeterson and McCloy singled in runs, and another run scored on an error. Read then doubled in two runs and Waggoner drove in the last one.
Read closed it out, needing just 10 pitches to get through the sixth.
Against Denver City, Waggoner homered twice and drove in five runs. Read drove in three runs.
Albany Used For Pitchers with Oliver getting his first varsity decision with two innings in relief of starter Calhan Fair child. Chapman the woneinningand Chambers worked the last two.
Waggoner, who was 2 for 4,homered in the second and connected for a grand slam in the fourth as the Lions broke the game open.
Denver City held leads of 1-0 and 2-1 early and the game was tied at 3 entering the fourth. Read doubled in two runs in the third to give Albany a brief lead.
The Lions batted around in the fourth with McCloy and Calhan Fairchild driving in runs for a 5-3 lead. With two outs and the bases loaded, Waggoner sent a drive over the center-field fence to make it 9-3.
In the sixth, Chapman tripled and scored on Read’s single. Chambers scored on an error in the seventh when Wesley Gleitz beat out an infield single.
