Red Bay last local baseball team standing after Phil Campbell, Russellville eliminated in second round

Just one local baseball team remains in the postseason after two Franklin County squads were eliminated in the second round of the AHSAA playoffs on Monday night. The Red Bay Tigers are the last squad standing after winning their series against Decatur Heritage. Phil Campbell and Russellville were eliminated after rubber match losses to Vinemont and American Christian Academy, respectively.

Mother Nature was not very cooperative with any team in north Alabama over the weekend, but decisive game threes were rescheduled and eventually able to be played at the start of the new week.

Red Bay (24-7), behind senior pitcher Ty Reynolds, took game one of its series against Decatur Heritage 8-5 before falling 7-3 in game two to force a game three.

In the first game of the series, Reynolds was a force both on the mound and at the plate. Despite allowing five earned runs in his complete-game pitching performance, Reynolds drove in a team-high four runs for the Tigers and came in to score himself after a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Despite outhitting Decatur Heritage eight to six in the second game of the series, Red Bay, ranked No. 8 in Class 2A, was unable to outscore the visitors.

Despite striking out 10 batters and allowing just three earned runs off five hits, the Tigers’ Carson McGee was stuck with the loss after pitching five and two-thirds innings.

In the all-important third and final game of the series, Red Bay brushed off the loss and earned a 5-1 victory over DHCA.

Jeremiah Thorne, who pitched a seven-inning complete game, earned the win for RBHS, allowing no earned runs on four hits and striking out six batters.

Red Bay scored one run in the second to take an initial 1-0 lead and then put up crooked numbers in the third and fifth innings to go up 5-1.

Center fielder Landyn Lewey accounted for nearly half of Red Bay’s runs as he went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Reed Hamilton, Harley Strickland, and McGee were responsible for the Tigers’ other three runs.

Red Bay advances to face Mars Hill, the No. 6-ranked team, in the quarterfinals.

Phil Campbell (21-14) was run-ruled 12-2 in the opening game of its series against Vinemont on Saturday before earning a 9-5 victory over the Eagles in game two. 

Isaac Duboise, who got the start on the bump for the Bobcats in the second game of the series, earned the win despite allowing 13 hits. The PCHS defense came to play behind Duboise and the Bobcat offense, led by three RBIs from designated hitter Koltin Hester, were able to outscore Vinemont.

Trailing 5-3 heading into the fifth inning, Phil Campbell put up three runs in each of the two innings to take the final 9-5 victory and send the series to a decisive game three.

The final game of the series, like the first, never looked like swinging Phil Campbell’s way.

Vinemont jumped out on the Bobcats with crooked numbers in the first three innings to take a 9-3 advantage into the fourth. The Eagles tacked on four more in the top of the sixth and then two more in the top of the seventh for good measure.

Hester got the start on the mound for PCHS and allowed 13 runs—11 earned—on 12 hits before he was relieved by Cale Faust in the sixth inning.

In the batter’s box, Braxton Mayfield led the team with two RBIs with shortstop Hagen Raper, right fielder Chandler Benford, and catcher Bentley Hill driving the other three runs in.

Phil Campbell ends its 2025 campaign as area champs for the eighth time in the last 10 years and with a 20-plus win season for the fourth time in five years.

Russellville (25-12), after suffering a 15-2 defeat in game one captured a 5-3 game two win over American Christian Academy, ranked No. 2 in Class 5A. The Golden Tigers dropped game three 9-7 and were eliminated in the second round, the earliest RHS has crashed out of the AHSAA playoffs since the 2019 season.

After taking a 1-0 lead to start game one, ACA put up six runs in the third, five in the fourth, and three more in the fifth to run away with the contest and take the series advantage. Russellville’s two runs scored in game one were driven in by senior right fielder Brennon Thorpe.

The Golden Tigers turned things around in game two, however, beating the Patriots 5-3 behind a complete game gem by Ty Engelthaler, who struck out seven and allowed three earned runs off six hits.

Tied up 3-3 after three innings, the difference in the contest was a two-run top of the fifth by Russellville. An RBI single by sophomore Tripp Cleveland scored Darron Jones and Neyland Baker.

Cleveland would finish the game with three RBIs and Thorpe again added two more RBIs.

The third and final game of the series was Russellville’s undoing. Six Golden Tiger errors cost the hosts as only four of their nine runs allowed were earned.

Brayden Hatton got the start on the mound for the Golden Tigers and pitched three innings before being relieved by Cleveland, who tossed the rest of the game.

Up 3-1 early thanks to a two-run home run by freshman Caleb Hawkins, Russellville surrendered five runs in the third and three more in the fourth to go down 9-5.

Russellville attempted a late comeback and cut ACA’s lead to 9-7 in the bottom of the seventh after back-to-back RBI singles by Cleveland and Hatton. But the run ultimately fell short for the Golden Tigers after Engelthaler grounded out into a game-ending double play.

Excluding the COVID year, the 2025 season marked 10 straight years in the postseason for the Russellville baseball program.