Bob Jones High School senior shortstop Braden Booth slugged his third home run of the AHSAA Class 7A State Baseball Championship Series in the first inning of the third and final game Wednesday night to snuff out some brief momentum, by Central-Phenix City, and the Red Devils never recovered.
Booth finished the night with two hits in two official at bats, had two RBIs, walked twice and scored three runs and the Patriots to a 12-5 victory to claim the school’s first-ever state baseball crown.
Bob Jones won Game 1 at Choccolocco Park in Oxford on Tuesday. With the games moving Jacksonville State University’s Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium The first inning of the deciding Game 3 provided plenty of fireworks as Central scored two runs in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead when lead-off batter Emory Yohn opened the game with a single, Landon Beaver reached on an error, and Hunter Wippert singled to plate Yohn. Beaver scored on a sacrifice fly by Sam Brown. The rally was snuffed out when Wippert was tagged out while trying to take third.
In the bottom of the inning, Booth, who was named the Class 7A State Baseball Championship Series MVP, tied the game with his third homer of the championship series – a towering blow to left that scored that scored Jacob Pearl, who drew a lead-off walk. With two runners on and just one out, Central Coach A.J. Kehoe switched pitchers bringing in Jordan Balcum. Central got out the inning with an out at third for the inning’s first out, and a double-play to end the inning.
Bob Jones added a third run in the bottom of the second to take a 3-2 lead when Tanner Hermesch walked and scored on a two-out single by Pearl. The Patriots added four runs in the fourth inning and five in the fifth to build a 12-3 lead.
Central got two runs back in the top of the seventh but could get no closer.
Bob Jones (44-9), coached by Jared Smith, had 12 hits in the final game/ Catcher Zack Johnson had two hits and three RBIs, right fielder Dillon Adkins was 3-for-3 with one RBI.
Yohn ad Wippert had two hits each for Central (40-5), coached by AJ Kehoe.
Patriots pitcher Jack Shaw pitched six innings, allowed seven hits, four runs but only one earned, and struck out five to get the final win. Adkins came in to close out the game in the seventh.
Balcum, one of five Central pitchers in the third game, got the loss.
Central was playing in its third straight 7A state finals. The Red Devils won the title in 2022.
Classes 2A and 4A opened play Wednesday at Choccolocco Park and will conclude those series at JSU Thursday. Ariton and Mars Hill Bible will begin Game 2 at 10 a.m., and the 4A finals featuring Corner and American Christian will play Game 2 at 4 p.m. Game 3 in each series will follow game two if needed.
Hartselle and Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa open play at Choccolocco Park with Game 1 at 10 a.m. That series will conclude Friday at JSU with the Game set for 10 a.m., and Game 3, if needed to follow.
