By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor 

MONTEVALLO – There are eight baseball teams currently still playing in the 4A classification, and after beating Oak Grove twice in three games that spanned a two-day stretch from April 29-30, the Montevallo Bulldogs are one of those eight teams. Montevallo, the 4A Area 7 regular season champ, beat Oak Grove, the 4A Area 7 regular season runner-up, in three games by scores of 11-4, 5-6, 10-1 to advance to the 4A quarterfinals.

 

Game 1. Montevallo 11 – Oak Grove 4

Montevallo took a 1-0 lead into the fourth inning of the first game before scoring five runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend its lead to 6-0, eventually winning 11-4. Zack Thompson started the game for the Bulldogs, pitching 5.1 innings and giving up four runs on five hits while striking out one and walking two. Thompson also had an impressive day from the plate as he went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run and had four RBIs. Jaret Yancey, Hunter Nabors, Justin Picket, Zac Oden and Levi Layton each had two hits in the opening game as well while Jackson Hughes went 1-for-3 with a home run as the Bulldogs totaled 15 hits in the first game of the series.

 

Game 2. Oak Grove 6 – Montevallo 5

The second and third games were pushed to Saturday as bad weather set in on Montevallo late Friday night. A day later Oak Grove was able to steal a game from the Bulldogs to force a crucial third game, the first of the playoffs for Montevallo. Jonathon Pintaro started the second game for Montevallo and tossed five innings worth of work, giving up two unearned runs on five hits while striking out four before Pickett came on in relief. Montevallo held a 5-3 lead entering the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Tigers scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to force a third game.

 

Game 3. Montevallo 10 – Oak Grove 1

After three scoreless innings in the final game, Montevallo opened things up in the top of the fourth inning with four runs, and followed up that four-run inning with back-to-back three run innings in the fifth and sixth to take a 10-1 lead, winning by that margin.

Yancey took the mound for the Bulldogs in the decisive game and never relinquished his post. He tossed seven complete innings, giving up one run on seven hits while striking out five and walking none in the winning effort. Picket led Montevallo from the plate with a perfect 3-for-3 line, which included a double and a home run and five RBIs, while Ahmad Edwards, Oden and Pintaro each had two hits in the game as well.

 

With the win, Montevallo now advances to the 4A quarterfinals where the Bulldogs will face 4A No. 1 overall seed UMS-Wright. First pitch is set for May 6 at 5 p.m. at UMS-Wright in Mobile.