Smith pitches Enterprise to area title

Enterprise clinched the Class 6A Area 5 baseball championship Monday afternoon with a 4-1 victory over Dothan.

“I told our guys before we played that it’s a team game,” said Wildcats coach Shawn Gilmer, who had a couple players deliver in key spots. “This bunch likes to play the game and they like to play together.”

The victory gave the Wildcats a 3-0 area mark with one game to play on Friday against Northview. Dothan is 1-2 and Northview is 0-2.

“It feels great,” Gilmer said. “We’ve missed the playoffs for a couple years and it’s really nice to have a (first-round) home game.”

Dothan plays the Cougars today at Pitman Field with a playoff berth on the line. Dothan won the first meeting, but Northview holds the tie-breaker over the Tigers.

Gilmer said his team’s hallmarks came to the front Monday.

“Defense and pitching — like it has been this season,” the coach said.

Enterprise pitcher Trey Smith pitched a complete game. He took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and held the Tigers to three hits. Smith walked just one and struck out 12.

“Trey Smith did an excellent job,” Gilmer said.

“That kid filled up the strike zone,” Dothan coach Matthew McDonald said. “When we did hit it they caught it.

“Hats off to Enterprise. They beat us twice and earned it.”

The Wildcats had to; Dothan didn’t give them much.

“We really didn’t play that bad,” McDonald said. “They just played better.”

Dothan starter Tate Fowler left with discomfort in his shoulder in the fourth inning. Reliever Josh Hughes pitched well the rest of the way.

Enterprise’s Smith singled in the first and led off the fourth inning with a double off Fowler, who left the game at that point. Courtesy runner Evan Horner advanced to third on Chris Morris’ grounder. Horner scored when Justin Hancock grounded out to shortstop.

It stayed 1-0 until the top of the sixth. Morris reached on an infield single. Hancock doubled when his shot short-hopped the fence in center field.

Chase Baldwin — filling in for starting shortstop Brett West, who missed the game with strep throat — followed with a sharp single to left past the drawn in infield to make it 3-0 with nobody out. Hughes escaped further damage.

Gilmer said Baldwin gave the Wildcats a big lift with his two-run single.

“He was on crutches up until two weeks ago,” the coach said.

“He turned an ankle and was out four to six weeks and is just now coming back.”

Dothan got its run in the bottom of the sixth. Leartis Davis got the Tigers’ first hit when he doubled to right-center.

Jay LeGrand hit a two-out single to right that scored Davis. Patrick McGrady followed with an infield single, but courtesy runner Taylor Johnson took a wide turn at second base and was thrown out by first baseman Brandon Tkac to end the inning.

Enterprise added an unearned run in the seventh. Thomas Hughes reached on an error, stole second and scored on another error.

In the second game, Dothan won 7-6. Dakota Andries was the winning pitcher. He and Adam White each had two hits.