Calhoun County baseball: Watts paces Oxford back to final

Mar. 9—OXFORD — Peyton Watts is the ultimate utility player for Oxford, and his fast-paced utility on the mound got the Yellow Jackets back in the Calhoun County final.

The sophomore held Alexandria to one hit in five innings of relief, and top-seeded Oxford held off No. 4 Alexandria 1-0 in Friday's second semifinal at Choccolocco Park.

The Yellow Jackets (11-2) will play No. 2 seed and defending champion Piedmont on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on Jacksonville State University's Rudy Abbott Field.

Oxford returns to the final after falling to Alexandria in last year's semifinals.

Watts spent extra time on the Choccolocco Park signature field mound after Monday's game, remembering his grandfather, who recently passed. While teammates celebrated in the locker room, Watts knelt and used his finger to draw a cross and write "Will-Will" on the mound as a tribute to his grandmother's second husband.

"It all came back to me in that moment," Watts said. "I just wanted to thank God and lift him up."

Watts seemed a God send for Oxford when he took the mound to start the third inning.

Alexandria had threatened in the first and second innings against freshman Carter Johnson, who started for Oxford. He managed to induce a Ty Brown grounder with runners on first and second bases and two outs in the first. Johnson also got Sam Wade to pop out with bases loaded and two outs in the second.

The Valley Cubs got a Zachary Baskins single to lead off the second, and Jake Upton reached behind him on an error. They advanced to second and third bases on a balk, but Canyon Mickler popped up a bunt attempt, and Johnson struck out Seth Johnson for the second out.

Johnson hit Aaron Johnson before Wade's pop out to end the threat. Alexandria stranded five runners in the first two innings.

"You can't do that against a good team," Alexandria coach Andy Shaw said. "We couldn't get the big hit during those times, and ... their guy came in and just shut us down."

After two slow, plodding innings, Watts brought his rapid pace and quick pickoff moves to keep runners close at first base.

"That's a big part of the way that I pitch," Watts said. "I don't like to go slow because, I mix up a lot of things. The fact that I go fast makes me throw guys off.

"That's where I get most of my ability from. It's not from me throwing hard."

Watts got two big assists from catcher Caleb Thomas, who gunned down Ian Cartwright's steal attempt in the third inning and fired to first for a pickoff, after Austin West led off the sixth with a single.

Watts picked himself up in the seventh. Baskins walked to lead off the at-bat and took second base on a passed ball. Jake Upton's sacrifice bunt to Watts moved Baskins to third base.

With the last two hitters of Alexandria's order due up, Shaw turned to pinch hitters Eli Barnes and Deshaun Foster. Watts struck them both out, Barnes on three pitches.

"Go right at them," Watts said. "You've got to treat them like they're any standard guy. You can't treat them one way or the other because you don't know them. You haven't seen them yet."

Oxford needed everything Watts could bring, because Alexandria's Wesley Wright and Andrew Allen did their part on the mound.

Wright allowed three hits in five innings with two walks and six strikeouts and one unearned run. Oxford's Hayes Harrison reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the second and scored on Trey Mooney's two-out grounder.

"Wesley Wright pitched nine innings in this tournament with no earned runs," Shaw said. "He just did an outstanding job for us."

Allen retired all three batters he faced after Upton walked to lead off the sixth.

Allen struck out two then got a big assist in the field. Aaron Johnson charged Chance Griner's hit to left field and made a diving catch to end the threat with pinch hitter R.J. Brooks on third base.

As for Watts, he's seen spot duty at pitcher on a team that has 17 pitching options, Oxford coach Wes Brooks said. Watts plays more infield and moved from second base to take the mound Monday.

"Somebody said, 'I think we found a No. 8 pitcher tonight,'" Brooks said. "It was just as a joke, but they're all doing well."

Sports Writer Joe Medley: 256-235-3576. On Twitter: @jmedley_star.