Lions post 3-0 in district
By Donnie A. Lucas
The Lion baseball team opened district last week with a pair of wins, including a rally for a win over Stamford and a no-hitter against Haskell.
Albany hosted Anson on Tuesday, posting a 7-5 win over the top-ranked Tigers, improving their record to 9-3 overall and 3-0 in district.
The Lions will travel to Cisco on Thursday, April 1, with a first pitch at 4:30 p.m. The JV game against Cisco was cancelled.
The district race will continue back in Albany next Tuesday with the Hawley Bearcats visiting to end the first round of district action.
The Lions traveled to Stamford on March 23 for the district opener.
Albany trailed 4-2 after five innings but rallied for three runs in the sixth and another in the seventh to ice the win.
“We managed just four hits in the game but found a way to win,” coach David Fairchild said. “We are struggling with the inability to put the ball in play. We are allowing too many strikeouts or just hit soft little fly balls. We have to produce better at the plate.”
Jackson Chapman was credited with the win from the mound, striking out four batters with no hits or runs allowed. He relieved Cade Neve in the fourth, who had 10 strikeouts while allowing four runs on two hits and two walks.
“Neve started the game for us and had 10 strikeouts, but his pitch count got high,” Fairchild said. “Jackson Chapman came in to relieve for the win.”
LIONS vs stamford
SCORE BY INNING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R/H/E
ALBANY 1 1 0 0 0 3 1 6/4/2
Stamford 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 4/4/7
INDIVIDUAL STATS
C Fairchild 2 for 3, 1 sgl, 1 dbl
P Henry 0 for 2, 2 RBIs
J Chapman 1 for 3, 1 sgl
L Ivy 1 for 4, 1 sgl
C Read 0 for 2, 1 RBI
C Price 0 for 2, 1 RBI
Lions Blank
Haskell 9-0
Albany sophomore Cole Chapman pitched a no-hitter to lead the Lions to a 9-0 win in Haskell last Friday evening.
The win improved the Lions’ record to 8-3-1 overall, including a 2-0 start in district.
Cole Chapman pitched all seven innings for the Lions, striking out 12 from the mound and allowing only three walks.
“Cole was focused and hitting his spots with great command,” the coach said. “It’s fun to watch a kid get on fire and get ahead in the count. The thing about him is he doesn’t let distractions get in his way, and he was determined to finish.”
The coach added that the pitching staff has been doing well, but he said that offensively the Lions need to step up their batting.
ALBANY LIONS vs Eula
SCORE BY INNING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R/H/E
ALBANY 0 3 0 1 0 2 3 9/5/2
HAskell 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0/0/6
INDIVIDUAL STATS
C Fairchild 1 for 4, 1 sgl
C Lefevre 1 for 3, 1 sgl, 2 RBIs
C Neve 0 for 2, 1 RBI
J Chapman 1 for 2, 1 sgl, 1 RBI
L Ivy 1 for 3, 1 sgl
C Price 1 for 4, 1 sgl
JV Results
The JV Lions earned a 15-0 win in Stamford last week to open district.
“Cole Read went the distance on the mound,” coach Fairchild said. “He threw well with good command. Houston Heatly, Read, Tyler Chapman, Lute Wheeler, and Zane Waggoner did well the hitting the ball.”
The JV also won in Haskell last Friday, 11-6, to improve to 8-1 for the season.
“We struggled to find the zone from the mound, but came out with an 11-6 win,” the coach said. “Tyler Chapman had a good inning for us. Lute Wheeler, Cason Fairchild, Houston Heatly and Bryson Herring all did well at the plate.”
