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Briarwood improved to 4-0 in area play as the Lions took advantage of their opportunities at the plate to sweep the season series with Shelby County. (For the Reporter/Jeremy Raines)

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

The Briarwood Christian Lions continued their undefeated run through Class 5A, Area 8 as they got through one of their toughest tests on the area schedule in Shelby County.

They did so with a pair big victories, first in a 10-2 win on Tuesday, April 1 at Shelby County High School and then a 14-4 victory in five innings on Thursday, April 3 at Briarwood Christian School.

The wins helped the Lions sweep the series and improve to 4-0 in area play with one series remaining.

Briarwood went right to work to start the opening game, getting three-straight singles after a lead-off strikeout in the top of the first. That let the Lions take a 2-0 lead on the ensuing play after the Wildcats opted to get the out at second.

Shelby County cut the deficit in half in the home half of the first. Colby Matherson drew a lead-off walk and went all the way to third off a Cooper Pennington single. That set him up to come home when Cale Blevins’ fly ball went deep enough on the left field line to bring him home.

After a couple of singles in the bottom of the second, Matherson hit a ground ball to third that got Skyler Smith caught in a rundown. However, one of Briarwood’s throws sailed over the third baseman and allowed Smith to score to tie the game at 2-2.

Briarwood then drew a pair of walks in the third before Will Clark came up in a two-out situation. Shelby County tried to make a diving catch in right field but missed, allowing Parker Daniels and Brayden Robertson to come home for the 4-2 lead.

Briarwood loaded up the bases again in the top of the fourth, and after the Wildcats recovered with a pair of outs, Robertson ripped a line drive right down left field to score Sfakianos and Seth Staggs.

That increased the lead to 6-2, and after Shelby County made a pitching change to start the sixth, the Lions kept adding to the lead.

A hit batter led to an intentional walk in an effort to force an inning-ending double play, but an error at short loaded up the bases for Clark. He stepped up big once again, this time with an RBI single to left to increase the lead to 7-2.

Robbie Paulsen then brought a run home on a sacrifice fly to make it a six-run game after the sixth.

Briarwood finished the game off with more offense in the seventh. After a lead-off walk was followed by a Staggs double, Houston Hartsfield hit one into right that led to another Wildcats error.

That play plated a run before Brooks Allred got the final run home off a ground out to help put the finishing touches on the 10-2 win.

Clark finished with a team-high three RBI on a 2-for-4 day. Robertson went 2-for-5 with two walks, two runs and two RBI, and Staggs was 2-for-5 with a run.

Ivan Hand struck out six batters across 6.2 innings while working around two runs, five hits and three walks.

Pennington secured seven strikeouts across his five-inning start against two earned runs, six total runs, six hits and four walks. He also went 2-for-4 at the plate.

Two days later, the Lions faced some early adversity on their home diamond as Shelby County loaded up the bases with nobody out in the top of the first. The Wildcats drew a bases-loaded walk to go up 1-0, but Hartsfield recovered with a pair of strikeouts to get out of the inning.

Briarwood got Staggs on with a lead-off walk in the bottom half of the inning, and a Daniels double and a Robertson walk gave the Lions their own chance to strike with the bases loaded.

Briarwood took a 3-1 lead off a pair of bases-loaded walks and an infield error, and that set up Brooks Allred to make the lead 5-1 on a two-run double to center field.

The Lions only built on that lead in the bottom of the second after a scoreless top half of the frame. Shelby County committed back-to-back errors to start the inning, and while the next batter lined out, Clark singled on the first pitch he saw to load up the bases for Hand.

Briarwood then scored two runs on the next two pitches, first off a Hand sacrifice fly and then off an RBI single by Paulsen to increase the lead to 7-1.

However, Shelby County came storming back in the top of the third. The first two batters of the inning reached freely off a walk and a hit by pitch, and Davis Ruston set up the Wildcats with another bases-loaded situation with a single on the ensuing at-bat.

That meant Smith just needed a ground out to score a run and set up a run of three-straight scoring plays. A Hunter King bunt led to an error and another run, and Ethan Hall came up big on another bunt to cut the deficit to 7-4 by scoring Ruston from third.

The Lions responded in a big way in the bottom half of the inning, using a lead-off walk to set up an RBI triple from Staggs. He then came home on a wild pitch to make it a 9-4 ball game.

Briarwood gave up its first out shortly after, but a pair of hit batters and a walk let Hartsfield come right home for another run. Paulsen took the lead to 12-4 two pitches later with a two-run double.

The Lions secured the win in the bottom of the fifth as John Henry Baker scored a run on an RBI single and Charles Dedmon came home on a passed ball to seal the 14-4 victory by the run rule.

Paulsen was 2-for-2 with two walks and four RBI, Hand had three RBI in a 1-for-2 day, Allred secured two RBI in his 1-for-3 outing and Daniels finished 2-for-4.

After a Saturday, April 5 home game at 11 a.m. against Spain Park, the 14-12 Lions will face Central-Clay County in their final area series of the season. Game one will be Tuesday, April 8 at 4:30 p.m. at Central High School in Lineville before it resumes on Thursday, April 10 at 4:30 p.m. at Briarwood Christian School.

Shelby County dropped to 12-12 ahead of a Saturday, April 5 home game at 11 a.m. against Minor. The Wildcats will finish out area play next week against Sylacauga with game one coming on the road on Tuesday, April 8 before the series concludes Thursday, April 10 at 4:30 p.m. at Shelby County High School.

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