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The Vincent Yellow Jackets handled business in round one of the Class 2A state playoffs, sweeping the West End Patriots thanks to solid performances from Landon Archer and Aiden Poe. (For the Reporter/Dawn Harrison)

By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

VINCENT – As the lights shined bright on a warm evening at Vincent High School, everyone knew it was playoff season, but for the Vincent Yellow Jackets, it was just another night in the office.

After ace pitcher Aiden Poe walked off the mound with another no-hitter in his back pocket, smiles filled the faces of the Vincent baseball team as it swept the West End Patriots in round one of the Class 2A state playoffs on Friday, April 18.

The Yellow Jackets collected both of their wins via mercy rule, taking game one 19-2 and game two 12-0, both ending in five innings.

“Overall, it was two complete games,” said Timothy Junkins, head baseball coach of the Vincent Yellow Jackets. “We had a game two no-hitter… That’s kind of what we always get out of our starters. When we throw strikes, we’re pretty good, but when we can actually put the ball in play, we can really compete with most people.”

Sophomore Landon Archer took the mound to begin the postseason in game one. After giving up a double to center field to lead off the game, Archer drew three straight outs to end the top of the first.

Following that, the Yellow Jackets stepped up to the plate with one thing on their minds: runs. Casen Fields led things off in the bottom of the first with a triple on the first pitch. Then, following a walk and hit batter, Grayson Gulde walked with the bases loaded to score in the game’s first run.

Archer came up immediately following and laced a double into left center, driving in two more runs to make it 3-0. With the bases still loaded and one out, Calvin Johnson hit a hard ground ball to the left side and reached on an error to make it 4-0, before a sacrifice fly from Lane Mims drove in a fifth run.

After batting around the order in its first plate appearance, Vincent saw Aiden Gasaway drive in the last two runs of the frame with a two-run single into right field to extend things to 7-0.

The second inning presented more of the same for the Yellow Jackets. Following a lead-off single, Archer blasted a ball out to left field for a two-run home run. Later, Mims recorded a two-RBI double, while Poe put up a sacrifice fly to make it a 12-0 blowout early.

The bottom of the third inning presented more run production, as four walks throughout the frame resulted in three more runs to put Vincent up 15-0, all of this happening while Archer kept the West End bats silent.

Heading into the bottom of the fourth, Archer continued his phenomenal game one, hitting a triple off the wall down the left field line to lead things off. A few batters later, Johnson put some juice into the ball for a three-run blast to make it an 18-0 game. Dakota Newton came up soon after and recorded an RBI single to sit the score at 19-0.

Fields finished out the game, and while he gave up two runs, it was nowhere near enough to be a threat, as Vincent won game one 19-2.

Archer earned the win with four innings pitched, giving up no runs on five hits, striking out six and walking one. He also went 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBI. Johnson and Mims joined him in the RBI total.

In game two, Poe stole the show as he had for the entirety of his career with the Yellow Jackets, putting on a vibrant performance on both sides of the ball.

He started the game off in the top of the first with an RBI triple to make it 1-0, before a sacrifice fly from Gulde made it 2-0.

Poe then went to the mound and struck out the side on 11 pitches in the bottom half, setting a strong tone for the contest.

Later on in the second inning, McElrath crossed home from third after a passed ball, extending things to 3-0 quickly for Vincent. However, the scoring did not carry over into the third inning, as the Yellow Jackets were held to a scoreless frame for the first time all night.

Following the empty offensive trip for Vincent, Poe went out and struck out the side again in the bottom of the third, and by that time, was up to eight in just 10 batters of work, having given up just one baserunner off of a hit-by-a-pitch.

The Yellow Jackets did not get anything going in the top of the fourth, and once again, Poe went back to work and shut the Patriots down, striking out one in the three outs.

The scoreless innings pushed Vincent though, as it wanted to end the game with a bang. That it certainly did.

With Gasaway at first, Gulde stroked a double to center field that brought him all the way around to score. Archer followed that up with a single to score Gulde, making it 5-0.

That sequence of events eventually led to seven more runs being scored in the frame to push the score to 12-0 by the time it was over.

That was all Poe needed to finish the job, as he struck out the side for the third time on the night and ended the game with another no-hitter for his career and secured the sweep for the Yellow Jackets.

Poe recorded 12 strikeouts on 62 pitches in game two, coming up just short of a perfect game after giving up one walk and hitting one batter. He also went 2-for-3 with two RBI, as well. 

Vincent’s victories set it up for a second-round date with the North Sand Mountain Bison on Friday, April 25 at Vincent High School. First pitch times are still to be announced.

“I know they (North Sand Mountain) have some kids who can compete,” Junkins said. “So I’m expecting some good games and I expect us to come out and compete just like we did tonight. If we can do that, that gives us multiple chances to be successful.

More Vincent High Sports

Vincent avenges loss to Georgia’s Bowdon, outlasts St. Clair County to finish regular season 23-5

Vincent’s Aiden Poe wins Bryant-Jordan state Scholar-Athlete Award

Vincent claims No. 1 baseball ranking in 2A as Thompson, Chelsea, Helena ranked in both baseball, softball

Vincent clinches area title, Westminster OM seals playoff berth as Jackets dominate Cornerstone Schools