The East Franklin Junior High School baseball team is nearing the conclusion of a season that has the Rebels boasting a record of 12-2 heading into their final two games.
The Rebels started the season 5-0 before dropping a 3-1 decision at Hackleburg on March 11. Following that loss East Franklin went on a six-game winning streak and shut out every opponent in those victories. The Rebels’ only other loss was a tight 1-0 defeat at Phil Campbell on March 21.
“We’ve had some really good pitching and we’ve been swinging the bat well. We’ve just got to continue to do it,” East Franklin head coach David Ward said.
In East Franklin’s six-game run against the likes of Deshler, Colbert County, and Winston County, the Rebels outscored their opponents 41-0.
“The pitching has been great,” Ward said. “I think swinging the bat we’ve gotten a lot better and defensively we’ve gotten a lot better.”
The first two games of the six-game winning stretch saw back-to-back Duboise no-hitters in a doubleheader against Deshler on March 14. The first was a combined no-hitter that saw Isaac Duboise toss four and two-thirds innings, striking out 12 batters. Miles Duboise came on in relief and struck out the final batter in the 4-0 win. Miles Duboise continued on the mound in the next game, a 6-0 victory, and fanned six over three shutout innings.
The Rebels no-hit the Tigers again two days later, routing Deshler 11-0 in four innings. It was Isaac Duboise again on the mound, but this time he went the full distance, striking out nine batters in the process. Miles Duboise led the Rebels with two RBI and Kye Baker came around to score three times in the game.
Colbert County was next to run into the buzzsaw. A fourth-straight no-hitter in four innings of work from Miles Duboise led East Franklin to a 7-0 victory in the game. Duboise finished with eight strikeouts while Baker led at the plate with two hits, two runs, and an RBI.
The no-hitters ended in the March 19 doubleheader against Winston County but not the winning. Issac Duboise led the team on both the mound and in the batter’s box in the series’ first game, a 4-0 triumph. He recorded the win on the bump, allowing one hit and striking out 11 in five innings pitched. At the plate he had a two-run double while Miles Duboise and Titus Nix both came around to score twice.
The winning streak was capped with a 9-0 win in the next game. Melvin Gutierriz got the start and tossed three shutout innings, striking out four before Miles Duboise came in in relief. The Duboises along with Eli Baker and Luke Morgan all knocked in a run.
It was Phil Campbell that finally silenced the bats and dispatched the Rebels on March 21 as East Franklin and the Bobcats split the doubleheader. Phil Campbell snuck by with a 1-0 victory thanks to an RBI from Kruz Cochran. Miles Duboise pitched well in the game, going four innings with 11 strikeouts, but he was bested on the day by Jack Owens, who gave up just two hits to the Rebels.
East Franklin got its revenge in game two. The Duboises were on the mound with Miles getting the start and Isaac coming in in relief. Miles struck out four batters in four innings, surrendering two runs, and Isaac hurled a scoreless fifth inning. Jonah Stancil was 2-of-3 at the plate and had a team-high two RBI while the Duboises came in to score two runs each. Jeremiah Smith also had an RBI.
This season, Miles Duboise leads the team with a .545 batting average while Isaac Duboise has a team-high 12 RBI. Isaac Duboise, with a season record of 4-1, has a team best 39 strikeouts on the mound.
The Rebels will end the season with a doubleheader at Tharptown before the county tournament begins on Saturday, March 30.
Naturally, the goal is to take the county title but Ward said, whatever the outcome, he’s been happy with how his team has progressed throughout the season.
“I like to win. I hope we can win it,” he said. “I’ve been impressed with a lot of my younger kids, who have really gotten a lot better. I’ve been watching them mature and learning the game. That’s what it’s all about. We’ve developed into a pretty good team.”
“I just want to say that these are some really great kids out here,” Ward added.
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