After giving up a big win to UMS-Wright in the opening game of the best-of-three series, Andalusia battled back to win game two and force a winner-take-all game three.

 

UMS-WRIGHT 13, 

ANDALUSIA 0

UMS-Wright got a strong start in the opening game of the series and defeated Andalusia 13-0 in five innings.

Tanner Allen led off the game with a double and then scored off an error to put the visiting Bulldogs on top 1-0.

A walk, a hit batter and two hits gave UMS-Wright a 3-0 advantage after a half inning of play.

In the top of the second inning, Sam Plash cranked a two-run home run and UMS-Wright held a 12-0 lead.

Sim Bowden regained control on the mound for Andalusia and struck out the side in the top of the third inning.

Bowden kept UMS-Wright off the board until the top of the fifth inning when a single gave them a 13-0 lead.

Goff led the way for UMS-Wright going 3-for-3 with three RBIs and one run scored.

Garrett Davis, Will Clark and Chase Hopkins had one hit each for Andalusia.

 

ANDALUSIA 1,

 UMS-WRIGHT 0

With their backs against the wall, the Andalusia Bulldogs put together seven strong innings to knock off UMS-Wright 1-0 in game two of the best-of-three series.

“Ethan has done that for us all year,” Andalusia head coach Tyler Dent said of his starting pitcher. “He gives us a chance to win every time he steps on the mound.”

Ethan Wilson took the mound for Andalusia in the second game and kept the UMS-Wright batters off balance the entire night.

Clark and Will Jones picked up singles in the top of the second inning, but Andalusia wasn’t able to get a run across.

Clark made a tremendous play in the bottom of the second inning when a line drive looked like it would find its way to the outfield, but Clark leapt high in the air and hauled in the ball for an out.

UMS-Wright got a single to start the bottom of the fourth inning, but a quick pick off move from Wilson left the UMS-Wright player frozen in his tracks.

A two-out double then gave UMS-Wright some life, but Hopkins made an fully extended diving catch for third out to keep the score 0-0 heading into the fifth inning.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Wilson ran into a little bases-loaded jam, but another diving grab by Hopkins in right kept zeros in the run column.

UMS-Wright got runners on second and third with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, but Sebaskin Stallworth made a nice play on hard hit ball to second for the final out of the inning.

Andalusia got things going in the top of the seventh inning when Riley Graham reached with a leadoff single.

Graham then moved to second on sacrifice bunt from Clark.

With one out, Will Jones followed with a single up the middle that scored Graham to give Andalusia a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, Wilson got another strong play from Stallworth at second for the second out of the inning.

UMS-Wright then ripped a ball up that middle that seemed destined for center field, but Nathan Langley made diving stop at shortstop and then flipped to Stallworth covering second for the final out of the game.

Jones led the way with going 2-for-3 with one RBI in the win.

Wilson picked the shutout-win on the mound.

“That just says a lot about these guys,” Dent said of his team. “After losing 13-0 to the No. 1 team in the state, and then come back and put together a game like that. We told them we would have to play seven complete innings, and we did… As proud as I am of Ethan, I’m just as proud of our middle infielders. Big time players make big time plays in big time games, and they did that tonight. UMS-Wright is a great team from top to bottom and we are just fortunate to force a third game.”

Game three between UMS-Wright and Andalusia will be at 2 p.m., today.