Lions lose semi-final series to New Deal
By Donnie A. Lucas
The Lion baseball team got in trouble early in the first game of the regional semi-final series last Thursday but came back strong in Game 2 only to have a win snatched away on an error in the seventh.
Losing Game 1 by a score of 11-4, followed by a 5-4 loss in the second game, ended Albany’s season in the fourth round of the playoffs.
The Lions posted a 22-5-1 overall record, including a perfect 10-0 district count.
“It was a very good season for the team,” coach David Fairchild said. “I want to thank our seniors for their hard work and dedication.”
The Lions had four seniors on the field including Jackson Chapman, Cade Neve, William Webb, and Parker Henry.
“We were in a very tough district, which once again proved itself this year,” he said. “I felt pitching was the key to our success, but we had some injuries during the playoffs and we had some younger players step up.”
The coach credited the pitching of Jackson Chapman and Cade Neve with “leading the team to the fourth round of the playoffs.”
He also said the Lions’ defense was successful throughout the season naming Cooper Fairchild, Caden Price, Cole Chapman, and William Webb, along with Jackson Chapman and Neve.
“Offensively, I thought Fairchild, Price, Henry, and Luke Ivy had some quality at bats,” Fairchild said. “And our younger guys Cole Read and Zane Waggoner came through in certain situations to provide strength when we needed it.”
He said that he will certainly miss the four seniors next year.
“They brought a lot to the table,” he said. “There were two big pitching arms, a solid first baseman, and a rock solid catcher. I can’t thank them enough.”
New Deal Games
The Lions got behind early in the first game against the top-ranked New Deal Lions, allowing them to score two runs in both the first and second, followed by four runs in the third for an early 8-0 lead.
Albany responded in the fourth with three runs.
“We had too many errors in the first game, and we didn’t make routine plays,” Fairchild said. “It is really hard to try to overcome mistakes like those against a good team.”
The coach said the team regrouped during the 30-minute break between games in the double header.
“We got settled down and came back in the second game to battle hard,” the coach said. “Jackson (Chapman) had a lot of command on the mound, and we led during most of the game.”
Albany scored two runs in the second, with New Deal answering with one score, then the Lions took the lead after the fifth inning with a pair of runs. Albany rallied to score two runs in the top of the seventh to lead 4-3.
However, New Deal was able to score a tying run, then scored on an error for the winning run in the walk-off.
“We lost a couple of starters in Game 1, so we had to make changes on the fly in the second game,” the coach said. “It was a great effort, but things just didn’t fall our way in the seventh.”
Cade Neve pitched for two and a third innings in the first game, allowing seven runs on two hits and four walks. He struck out three. Cole Chapman was on the mound for three and a third frames, giving up three runs on five hits and one walk. He struck out five.
Cole Read came in for the last four outs, with one run on one hit. He had one strikeout.
Jackson Chapman pitched all seven innings in Game 2, allowing five runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out two batters.
game 1
SCORE BY INNING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R/H/E
New Deal 2 2 4 0 0 2 1 11/8/2
Albany 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 4/7/7
INDIVIDUAL STATS
C Fairchild 3 for 4, 3 sgls, 4 RBIs
P Henry 2 for 3, 2 sgls
C Neve 1 for 4, 1 dbl
J Chapman 1 for 3, 1 sgl
L Ivy 1 for 3, 1 sgl
Game 2
SCORE BY INNING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R/H/E
ALBANY 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 4/7/3
New Deal 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 5/5/1
INDIVIDUAL STATS
C Fairchild 3 for 4, 3 sgls
C Neve 1 for 4, 1 sgl
C Chapman 2 for 3, 2 sgls
C Price 1 for 3, 1 dbl
Z Waggoner 1 for 4, 1 dbl, 2 RBIs
