BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Hope Christian Academy’s baseball team won its final six regular-season games, winning the district championship and earning the number-one seed for the Southeastern Christian Conference tournament, which begins Friday, May 10, at Corinth Christian Academy in Jasper.
The Lions, who went 9-3 during the regular season and 8-2 in district play, scored 48 runs in their final six games, while allowing only 13.
Hope’s winning streak began with an 11-4 win over visiting Southside Christian on April 9. Dalton Thomas hit two home runs and finished with three RBI, going 2 for 4 at the plate.
Ty Briscoe and Walker Munroe each went 2 for 3, with Briscoe driving in two runs and Munroe driving in three. Briscoe was also 2 for 3 on stolen-base attempts.
Jude Hanson had one RBI and was 2 for 2 on stolen-base attempts.
Zach Hansen and Jackson Jones each hit a double.
Briscoe pitched a complete game (five innings), giving up seven hits and three walks, while striking out eight.
The Lions clung to a 3-2 lead against host Brunswick Christian before scoring seven runs in the final three innings to win 10-2 on April 12.
Hanson had three RBI, going 2 for 4 with two doubles.
Briscoe, Munroe and Thomas each had two RBI. Thomas went 4 for 5 with two doubles and a triple, while Munroe was 2 for 4 with a double. Munroe was also 4 for 4 on stolen-base attempts, while Thomas went 2 for 2.
Hansen, who had one RBI, pitched two innings, giving up no runs, no hits and three walks, while striking out five. Briscoe allowed two runs, three hits and one walk in two innings, while Thomas gave up no runs, two hits and no walks in three innings. Thomas had six strikeouts.
On April 15, Hope hosted Open Bible, with Briscoe going 2 for 3 and driving in three runs in an 11-1 win.
Hanson was 3 for 3 with two RBI, while Thomas went 2 for 4.
Jones, who had two RBI, and Marcus Chever each went 2 for 2 on stolen-base attempts.
Hansen and Munroe each had one RBI.
On the mound, Hansen allowed one run, three hits and one walk, while striking out four in four innings. Briscoe gave up no hits and no walks, with one strikeout in two innings.
The Lions traveled to Valdosta, Georgia, to play Open Bible again, with Hansen and Munroe each driving in two runs in a 10-2 win on April 19.
Hanson and Jones each had one RBI, with Jones going 3 for 4. Jones was also 2 for 2 on stolen-base attempts.
Briscoe, who was 4 for 4 on stolen-base attempts, pitched two innings, giving up two runs, two hits and three walks, while striking out three. Thomas allowed no hits and one walk in four innings, striking out six.
Hope got two RBI from Jones in a 4-3 win over visiting Corinth Christian on April 23.
Jones finished 3 for 4, while Thomas went 2 for 4 with a double.
Briscoe and Munroe each had one RBI, with Munroe successful on two stolen-base attempts.
On the mound, Briscoe gave up four hits and one walk, while striking out four in six innings. Thomas threw one inning, giving up no hits and no walks.
Jones drove in the winning run in a 2-1 win over visiting Brunswick Christian on April 26.
It was 1-1 entering the bottom of the seventh. Landen Perry singled, while Thomas walked. Jones hit a ground ball to the shortstop to score the winning run.
Jones drove in the Lions’ first run as well off a single in the first inning.
Briscoe pitched five innings, allowing one unearned run, three hits and no walks. He struck out 11.
Thomas threw the final two innings, giving up one hit and no walks, while striking out five.
