Decatur Heritage splits with Mars Hill, forces Game 3
May 13—FLORENCE — Two games weren't enough, and Decatur Heritage and Mars Hill are set for a deciding Game 3 today to see which will represent the north in the 2A state finals.
The two teams split Thursday, with the Panthers taking Game 1, 16-11, while Heritage dominated Game 2, 12-2.
"It was very uncharacteristic of us in Game 1," said Decatur Heritage head coach Steve Meek. "We had runners on every inning that we weren't scoring, and we made a ton of errors. We had a little heart to heart going into the second game. They responded and played the way we're capable of playing."
The two teams will meet today at Mars Hill with first pitch set for 3:30 p.m. Meek says he expects a tight contest.
"It's going to be a war," Meek said. "These are the two best teams in north Alabama in 2A, maybe two of the best in all of Alabama."
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Mars Hill 16, Decatur Heritage 11: Mistakes proved to be killer for the Eagles during Game 1. They committed 10 errors.
"I don't know what was going on," Meek said. "I don't know if they weren't focused or what, but we're better than that. We made a serious attitude adjustment after that game."
Decatur Heritage jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a bases-loaded walk and an RBI from Bryant Sparkman, but Mars Hill struck back, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the second.
The Eagles trailed 8-4 going into the fourth when Bo Solley drove in two runs on a triple then scored himself on an error. The rally was short lived, as the Panthers extended their lead to 16-7.
Nash Rippen ripped a three-run home run in the seventh, but the comeback stopped there.
Rippen, along with Tyler Founds, led Decatur Heritage with three RBIs each. Mac Hurst had two hits and an RBI, while Solley had a hit and two RBIs.
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Decatur Heritage 12, Mars Hill 2: Faced with a win or go home situation, the Eagles turned to Sparkman in Game 2. The freshman delivered.
Sparkman had a no-hitter going through four innings and finished the game allowing just four hits and two runs while recording five strikeouts.
"He's going to be something special," Meek said. "We've brought him along slowly this year, but he's really come on here lately. He's got good stuff, and he's a fierce competitor."
The Eagles blew the game open with four runs in the first inning, then added three in the third to put it out of reach.
Rippen led the team with three hits and three RBIs, while Solley added two hits and three RBIs.
