Wildcats win area baseball championship

By Ricky Adams Ledger Correspondent
Published: April 09, 2009

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The Enterprise Wildcats captured the 6A Area 5 baseball crown with a 4-1 victory over Dothan on Monday.

The win came on the heels of Saturday night’s 1-0 victory over the Northview Cougars, another area nemesis.

The crucial road victories came despite the Wildcats being shorthanded because of illness and injuries. On Saturday, Wildcat senior Zach Kandle took a nohitter into the fifth inning, while his Northview counterpart, Parrish Smith, threw a three-hitter, and had a chance to win the game at the plate in the bottom of the seventh with two outs and a Cougar at second.

Smith smoked a line drive that diving Enterprise shortstop Brett West snagged on a short hop; West rose to his feet and threw to first to end the inning and the game.

“Brett made a great play, and we got a timely hit when we needed it most,” EHS coach Shawn Gilmer said. “Zach gave us everything he had.”

The game’s only run came in the fourth inning when Trey Smith lined a double just inside the right-field line. A ground-out moved Smith to third and a sharp single to right by West plated the only run Enterprise needed in the win.

The Wildcats improved to 2-0 in area games, 16-10 overall, and set up a clash with their most ancient rival, the Dothan Tigers, who entered Monday’s game with a 1-1 area record. It was Smith’s turn to pitch Monday, and pitch he did. Smith went the distance, took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and scattered three hits across seven innings, while striking out 12 and walking one.

Smith accounted for Enterprise’s first run after doubling to start the fourth inning; courtesy runner Evan Horner moved to third on a ground ball by Chris Morris, and scored when Justin Hancock ground out to shortstop.

With the score still 1-0 in the top of the sixth, Morris started a rally with an infield single; Hancock followed with a ground-rule double and Chase Baldwin, playing for West, who missed the game due to illness, drove a sharp single into left, plating both his teammates for a 3-0 Wildcat lead.

Baldwin recently returned to action after missing more than a month, and having to use crutches until two weeks ago, Gilmer said.. Dothan scored in the bottom of the sixth and the Wildcats added an unearned run in the top of the seventh when Thomas Hughes reached on an error, stole second and came around to score on another Tiger error. In the second game of the doubleheader, Dothan claimed a 7-6 win. The Wildcats host Northview in doubleheader action Friday, at 4 p.m. at Lint Warren Field.