BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY — The Auburn High School baseball team earned three straight victories over Opelika High School, winning 8-2 at Cimo Field on April 15 and 2-1 and 9-6 at Bulldog Field on April 16 and 17.
With those results, the No. 8 Tigers improve to 23-10 overall and 5-1 in 7A Area 4, while the Bulldogs drop to 18-18 overall and 1-5 in Area 4.
As the regular season heads into its final stretch, AHS has seemingly hit another gear at the right time, with the Tigers compiling a 10-2 record since the end of March. AHS head coach Tommy Carter credited his players, who he said have taken it upon themselves to prepare for a tough stretch of games.
“It’s always good to beat your crosstown rival, plus the atmosphere has been fun,” Carter said. “This team has always had a good approach as far as preparing for games, but I could tell they’ve been more laser-focused during area play. It’s more player-led and less of me saying, ‘Hey, let’s get going.’”
Crucial to the Tigers’ success in the series against OHS was Bryson Sheppard, whose first-inning, two-run home run in the second game ultimately sealed the game. In his final guaranteed series against the Bulldogs, the senior first baseman soaked in the emotions that came with the sweep.
“To come out here and be able to beat them three times in a row is awesome,” Sheppard said. “With our team, we don’t give up until the very end. It could be the top of the seventh, and we’re going to give it our all, no matter what. I’m excited to see what we do [the rest of the season].”
From the opposite dugout, OHS head coach Bart Butler expressed his disappointment with the results but also praised his team for refusing to quit and staying in close games against one of the state’s top teams. Except for the first game, which got out of hand after Angelo Santiago’s second-inning grand slam gave AHS a 5-0 lead, the Bulldogs were neck-and-neck with the Tigers the entire series.
“I love that our kids fight, and they’re always going to fight,” Butler said. “When you’re playing a team like that, which has really good arms — both starters and in the bullpen — and can hit up and down the order, you can’t make a lot of mistakes. They force you to play almost a perfect game.”
Game 1
AHS wasted little time seizing control at home in the series opener.
The Tigers broke through in the bottom of the second when Britt Farr hit a hard ground ball and reached on an error near third base, allowing Lawson Hare to score from third for a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, with the bases loaded and facing two outs, Santiago launched a thunderous grand slam on a fly ball deep into left field to score Dean Murray, Britt Farr and Wilson Foster and blow the game open at 5-0.
AHS then piled on in the third, with Brady Sack lining a single into left field to plate Sheppard from third. Farr followed with an RBI single on a ground ball into left field to score Hare again, and Ryan Farr capped the frame with a double lined into left field that brought his brother home from first and pushed the lead to 8-0.
Opelika’s Hank Hudson finally got the Bulldogs on the board in the top of the sixth with a two-run homer on a fly ball deep into left field that delivered Jax Miller home from first in the process. By then, however, the deficit was too large to overcome.
Santiago finished 1-for-4 with four RBIs and a run scored, while Britt Farr went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs for the Tigers. Hudson led the Bulldogs, going 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run.
On the mound, Ethan Wade was dominant for AHS, going the distance and scattering four hits across seven innings. He allowed two earned runs, walked two and struck out nine. Asher Rudd took the loss for OHS.
Game 2
The series shifted to Opelika for the second game, but the change of scenery did little to slow AHS’s momentum.
Sheppard wasted no time, jumping on an early pitch in the top of the first and hammering a two-run homer into left field to score Antwane Daniels, who was walked during the game’s second at bat. Sheppard finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
That was all the Tigers would need. Hare matched Wade’s opening-game brilliance, tossing a complete game and limiting the Bulldogs to two hits and one earned run while striking out nine and walking just one.
OHS’s lone run came in the bottom of the fourth when Miller grounded out to first base, allowing Sye Siggers — who went 1-for-3 — to score from third.
Landon Rudd absorbed a tough-luck loss despite a strong outing of his own, surrendering just two earned runs on seven hits while striking out eight over seven innings for the Bulldogs.
Game 3
The final then proved to be a back-and-forth slugfest that tested both pitching staffs.
AHS struck first with three runs in the top of the first. Jake Haney doubled into right field to plate Christian Myers, Jong Yoon drove in a run on a groundout and Cole Hall added a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0 before OHS had stepped to the plate.
The Bulldogs answered immediately. A bases-loaded walk to Warner McDonald, a sacrifice fly from Tyson Prince and a pair of wild pitches — the second of which allowed Hudson to scamper home — knotted the score at 3-3 after one inning.
AHS then retook a three-run lead in the third, which Yoon kicked off with a solo homer to left field. Ryan Donaldson later dropped a bunt single to score Stuart Mills, and Myers lifted a sacrifice fly to push the advantage to 6-3.
However, OHS punched back again in the bottom of the third. Landon Rudd laced a hard single through the middle to score McDonald, a balk brought Rudd home from third and Sawyer Rollins singled into center field to plate Carter Gardner and tied the game at 6-6.
From there, AHS’s bats proved the difference. Haney tripled into center field in the sixth to score Myers and break the tie, and the Tigers tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh — one on a balk and another on a Myers single — to pull away for good.
Myers paced the Tigers’ offense, going 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs, while Haney added a 2-for-4 day with a run scored and two RBIs.
Hudson went 2-for-3 with a run for OHS, while Landon Rudd finished 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI.
AHS used six pitchers in the game, and the committee combined to allow four hits and six runs — three earned — while walking five and striking out six. Donaldson, who pitched two innings, was credited with the win.
Whit Cooper took the loss for the Bulldogs.
