Andalusia scores 5 runs in 6th, beats Brewbaker, 6-5

Andalusia scored five runs in the sixth inning and the Bulldogs went on to beat Brewbaker Tech 6-5 in their first game of the Butch Youmans Memorial Tournament on Monday night at Merchants Field in Opp.

The Bulldogs fell 2-0 after the third inning, cut it to one in the fourth and trailed 4-1 going into the bottom half of the big inning.

AHS managed to get two runners on with no outs to start the scoring spree.

What made it successful for the team was its willingness to “barrel the ball up,” Bulldogs coach Tyler Dent said.

“I told them if you keep barreling the ball up, then good things are going to happen,” Dent said. “I was proud of the way we fought back in the later innings. I told them we’ve got to play seven, we can’t play four.”

Andalusia’s Quinton Maddox reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases, and Jud Rogers scored a short time later on a passed ball to get it to 4-2.

The bases were loaded again when Daniel Henderson reached with no outs. Ross Graham then put down a good bunt on a squeeze play to cut it to 4-3 with one out.

Then, Brayden Burkhardt then hit a sac fly to center to help send the runner at third home for the 4-4 tie.

For the third time during the inning, the bases were loaded on an infield blooper from Todd Wright with two outs.

Brandon Smith, who is lights out at the plate for AHS, then slammed a two-run single for a 6-4 Bulldogs lead.

Brewbaker Tech scored its last run in the top of the seventh on a hit.

Dent said his pitchers for the game — Hunter Earnest and Burkhardt — threw real well.

“They threw strikes,” he said. “The only bad thing is that we’ve got to play better defense.”

Andalusia improves to 12-7 on the season.

The Bulldogs are back in action at the tournament against Excel today at 11:30 a.m. and W.S. Neal at 4:30 p.m. on Merchants Field.

In other action, T.R. Miller defeated Straughn 10-0 in five innings.

TRM led 5-0 by the fifth inning, tacked on four runs in the fourth and won it on a hit in the bottom of the fifth after Hunter Brittain led of the inning with a double.

Straughn only had one hit in the loss.

SHS plays Elba at 9 a.m. on Senn Field, and then Brewbaker Tech at 2 p.m. on Merchants Field.