Patriots cruise past Minor in first round
HOMEWOOD -- The Homewood High School baseball team did what it was supposed to do on Friday evening.
The Patriots swept Minor, 16-0 and 15-3, in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs at Homewood High.
"We came into the game and we felt like this was a series we were supposed to win," said Homewood head coach Lee Hall. "I thought we approached it in a very businesslike manner and took care of business to put us in the next round."
The highlight of the evening was leadoff hitter and center fielder Josh Hall notching the all-time stolen base record in high school baseball history, swiping his 212th base in the second inning of the first game.
Read about Josh Hall’s journey here.
“I never thought this day would come,” said Josh Hall. "It's a pretty awesome feeling. I wanted to get it done early in this game and luckily I did."
The Patriots breezed through the first game, winning 16-0. They scored three in the first thanks to run-scoring hits from Daniel Patton and Crawford Doyle.
Homewood began pouring it on in a seven-run third inning, as Minor cycled through multiple pitchers, searching for one that could put the ball in the strike zone consistently. The Patriots scored their seven runs on just three hits. Josh Hall went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and four stolen bases. Michael Kash and Ben Teel each drove in two runs.
Justin Perreault pitched all five innings, allowing just two hits and no runs while striking out 10.
In the second victory, a 15-3 win, Teel began the scoring with an RBI single and Evan Lemak hit a sacrifice fly later in the inning, as the Patriots took a 2-0 lead. The Patriots notched three more in the second and three runs in the third, as Sam Dantone led off that third frame with a home run over the left field fence. Teel went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and three RBIs in the game. Josh Hall had an inside-the-park home run, scored four runs and stole five bases, giving him nine swipes on the evening.
Teel got the start on the mound and allowed two runs in three innings. Hunter Keim pitched four innings of relief to finish it off.
With the win, Homewood will face the winner between Gardendale and McAdory in the second round next weekend. The two teams play Game 3 on Saturday at 1 p.m. after splitting two games on Friday.