Mobile Christian jumps out to early lead, cruises to 5th AHSAA state championship in win over Etowah
JACKSONVILLE — After taking its only lead on a walk-off balk Tuesday in Game 1, defending state champion Mobile Christian asserted control early in Game 2 Wednesday morning and never relented to earn its sixth state title.
Grant Jay sparked Mobile Christian with a two-run home run in the first inning and the Leopards went on to defeat Etowah, 9-3 at Rudy Abbot Field at Jim Case Stadium.
Jay's home run came two batters into the game after Jay McCants hit a lead-off single.
"It's good (for our) confidence," Mobile Christian senior Charlie Keller said. "But our team, we will play the same way if we're down by 10 or up by two. We knew we had to keep going."
Mobile Christian (33-4) loaded the bases with one out, but freshman Jameson Scissum was able to get Etowah (28-14) out of the jam without more damage.
Scissum rebounded after being called for a balk to end Game 1.
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"He gave up the home run early, it didn't faze him," Etowah coach Blake Bone said. "And I think it's just he continued throughout the season to mature as a player and as a person."
Brody Hinton added an inside-the-park home run in the fourth inning and Ty Macha added an RBI double in the fifth.
Charlie Kelly, a Mississippi State signee, hit a three-run dagger home run in the top of the seventh.
"I knew that was probably my last high school event, so that was really cool to me," Kelly said.
Etowah was able to keep the game close until the seventh inning, despite Mobile Christian having multiple opportunities to blow it open.
Andrew Pierce was 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs scored. Hunter Humphries drove in two runs for the Blue Devils. Briggs Freeman had an RBI single with two outs in the seventh to score Humphries.
"That's just kind of the motto that you get when you move here," Humphries said. "It is just 'we're not gonna quit and we're just gonna keep fighting and believe in each other.'"
Camden Diamond pitched a complete game for the Leopards. He struck out six, walked two and allowed three runs on five hits.
"Camden gets nervous before he pitches, but (he) is a big game pitcher," Mobile Christian coach Talley Haines said. "He is able to rise to the occasion and do great things. Today was unbelievable, for him to go out there and do what he did."
Contact Ehsan Kassim at 256-300-5313 or ekassim@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: AHSAA baseball: Mobile Christian defeats Etowah to win Class 4A state championship
