Chandler Allen overcame a rough first inning on Thursday afternoon to strike out 13 batters in a complete game, helping No. 10 Red Bay earn a split with No. 5 Phil Campbell by beating the Bobcats 10-3 in game two of the Class 2A, Area 14 series.
Phil Campbell (12-6 overall, 1-1 in area play) later rallied from an early three-run deficit to win Thursday night’s tiebreaker game 7-4. If the Bobcats and the Tigers (10-9, 1-1) finish tied in the area standings, Phil Campbell will have the edge.
Allen (5-2) walked leadoff man Hayden Copeland to start Thursday's opener and then served up a two-run homer to Peyton Thomas two batters later, putting Red Bay in an early 2-0 hole. The senior lefty then allowed a single to Gage Roberson but settled into a groove thereafter, holding the Bobcats to just two hits the rest of the way and finishing just one strikeout shy of his season-high of 14. Allen issued only one walk in seven innings and threw 73 of his 110 pitches for strikes.
The Tigers took advantage of two walks by Phil Campbell starter Hayden Copeland and two errors by the Bobcats to score twice in the bottom of the first and tie the game. Copeland (2-1) issued four more walks in the bottom of the third, two of which came with the bases loaded and gave Red Bay a 4-2 lead.
Phil Campbell cut the lead to one in the top of the fourth when Colby Baker tripled to right and scored on an error, but Allen buckled down and did not allow another run. The Tigers, meanwhile, mounted a two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth, getting a single from Hayden Murray, a walk to Allen and a single from Kolby Bragwell to score twice off reliever Chase Hutchens and extend their lead to 6-3.
Red Bay broke the game open with four runs in the bottom of the fifth, highlighted by a two-run single from Murray and an RBI triple by Allen that made it 10-3.
Allen finished strong on the mound, striking out two batters in the sixth and then three in the seventh to finish off his third complete game of the season. The Blue Mountain College signee allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and now has 56 strikeouts in 33.1 innings on the year.
Murray finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Bragwell was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Allen went 1-for-2 with two RBIs and two walks. Skylar Brazil and Kaleb Sims each went 1-for-3 and drove in a run, and Cade McKinney scored twice. Max Bullen was 1-for-4 with a run, and Kaleb Burroughs scored two runs and stole two bases.
Copeland took his first loss of the season, allowing four runs (three earned) in 2.2 innings. He gave up just one hit but walked six. Hutchens threw 2.1 innings of relief, and Brandon Thomas pitched one scoreless frame.
Peyton Thomas’s home run was his fourth of the season. He went 1-for-2 and was hit by a pitch. Roberson was 2-for-3, and Baker’s triple was Phil Campbell’s only other hit.
In Thursday’s nightcap, Phil Campbell starter Nick Swinney survived a long first inning to throw his first complete game of the season in the 7-4 win. Swinney (3-1) allowed three runs in the first but only one the rest of the way, giving up six hits and finishing with a season-high 10 strikeouts in seven innings.
Red Bay jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Swinney struck out the side in the inning but also walked two batters, hit another and gave up three hits, including RBI singles by Murray and Kolby Bragwell.
Bragwell started on the mound for the Tigers and kept Phil Campbell off the board until the top of the third, when Nick Taylor walked and scored on a double by Copeland. Thomas followed with an RBI single to cut the lead to 3-2.
The Bobcats took their first lead with two more runs in the top of the fifth. Thomas led off the inning with a double, and Roberson was hit by a pitch. Both runners scored when Red Bay committed a throwing error on Brody Nix’s sacrifice bunt, putting Phil Campbell on top 4-3.
Nix, a junior, provided the Bobcats with some much-needed insurance in the top of the sixth, clearing the bases with a three-run triple to center to make it 7-3. Red Bay took advantage of a walk and an error to score a run in the bottom of the seventh, but Swinney avoided further damage and finished off the win. The senior right-hander threw 110 pitches on the night, 70 of which were strikes.
Copeland and Thomas each finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Joe Hardy was 1-for-4 with a double, and Taylor went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs.
Bragwell was 2-for-3 with a double for Red Bay, and Blake Hester also doubled and walked twice. Murray was 1-for-4 with two RBIs.
Bragwell (1-2) took the loss, allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits in four innings. He struck out four batters, walked two and hit two. Murray pitched 2.2 innings in relief, allowing two earned runs on three hits with three strikeouts.
