By Staff
FROM STAFF REPORTS
It is hard to fathom a team could go through a more heartbreaking weekend than the one the Jefferson Davis Community College Warhawks baseball team endured at Faulkner State. Not only did JDCC lose each game by one run, but the Sun Chiefs won each game in their final at-bat.
Not only were the three losses tough to swallow from an emotional standpoint, but they severely damaged JDCC's hopes of grabbing one of the Alabama Community College Conference south division's seven playoff spots. The Warhawks (8-13 in the ACCC and 17-24 overall) fell three and one-half games behind Southern Union for the last playoff position with a season-high seventh straight loss that dropped them a season-low seven games below the .500 mark.
The tone for the series was set in the opener where the Warhawks had leads of 3-0, 4-2 and 6-5 slip away. JDCC grabbed its final advantage when it scored twice in the top of the ninth inning only to see the Sun Chiefs score twice in the bottom of the ninth to win it.
Ryan Gray had a pair of hits and two RBIs to lead JDCC, while Steven Bingert also had two hits. Kyle Snedeker added a hit and two RBIs, while Ben Green and Jeremy White each had a hit and one RBI.
Faulkner State (13-8 in the ACCC and 24-20 overall) completed the sweep Saturday with a 5-4 win in game one and a 3-2 triumph in game two.
The Sun Chiefs won the opener despite the fact they committed eight errors, five of which came in the first inning. Despite the miscues, JDCC managed to take just a 2-0 lead.
The Warhawks doubled that cushion to 4-0 in the third on an RBI triple by Gray and an RBI double by White, but never scored again.
Faulkner State chipped away at the deficit in the late innings with a pair of runs in the sixth, one in the seventh and a pair in the bottom of the eighth to first tie and then take the lead.
White had a pair of hits with an RBI to lead JDCC, while Gray had a hit and three RBIs.
The finale was the only game where the Sun Chiefs did not have to come from behind.
Faulkner State took a 2-0 lead in the third, but the Warhawks got one of those runs back in the sixth and the other back in the seventh to tie the game at 2-2.
The Sun Chiefs won it in the bottom of the seventh. Brandon Turner singled with one out and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. An error sent him to third and a single by Adam Heisler drove him home.
Jake Bonds had a pair of hits to lead JDCC. Greg Gomez had the lone RBI for the Warhawks.
Friday's game
JDCC 000 310 002 – 6 10 1
Faulkner St. 002 000 122 – 7 16 2
Game one
JDCC 202 000 000 – 4 8 4
Faulkner St. 000 002 12X – 5 7 8
Game two
JDCC 000 001 1 – 2 7 1
Faulkner State 020 000 1 – 3 6 0