AISA BASEBALL: Tornado warning inturupts Game 1 of semifinals with Macon East leading Edgewood

Macon East’s Jackson Todd takes off for third base as Edgewood Colten Lashley pitches in the first game of the AISA Class A semifinals at Paterson Field on Wednesday. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

A tornado warning halted play in the Alabama Independent School Association state baseball playoffs, pushing the Class A semifinal between Macon East Academy and Edgewood Academy back to Friday.

The first semifinal series was a doubleheader sweep by Lakeside School over Hope Christian. The second series on Wednesday had Macon East Academy taking a 4-0 lead into the fourth inning when officials halted play for lightning, which was followed seconds later by sirens indicating a tornado warning for Montgomery County.

City officials rolled out the tarp 15 minutes later as heavy rain brought an end to Wednesday’s play.

Macon East took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, scoring a run on a sacrifice fly by Patrick Ernest, followed by Jackson Todd scoring on a throwing error after stealing third. Ernest’s double down the right field line an inning later gave the Knights a 3-0 lead.

In the fourth inning, Cole Streetman led off with a single, an error on J.D. Spires’ sacrifice bunt left both runners safe and both advanced on Conner Wallace’s bunt. Todd singled up the middle to score Streetman for a 4-0 lead as officials halted play.

The game will resume from that point on Friday at 10 a.m. A second game in the best-of-three series will immediately followed and a third game, if necessary, will be played on Saturday at 10 a.m.

In the first semifinal series of the day, Lakeside rallied from a 7-4 deficit with two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to pull off an 8-7 victory. In the second game, the Chiefs broke open a 5-2 lead with five runs in the sixth to win 11-2.

In the first game, Hope struck first with singles by Kainen Bozeman, Cayden Slick and Kingston Eagle, followed by a two-run double from Caden Marturello for a 3-0 lead. The Chiefs would tie the game in the third but Hope responded with four more runs in the fourth with singles by Slick, Aziah Amberson and Eagle.

In the fifth, Luke McGowan doubled in J.B. Upton and scored on a single by Boston Brown to trim the deficit to 7-6. An inning later, Jaxon Langham led off with a double and Jack Giles reached base on a fielder’s choice and later scored to cap the comeback.

The tournament continues on Thursday with a pair of Class AA series, including Lowndes and Clarke Prep at 4 p.m. The series was originally scheduled for 3 p.m., but Thursday’s action was pushed back an hour to allow the grounds crew additional time to work on the field following Wednesday’s rain.

AISA BASEBALL STATE PLAYOFFS

Results and pairings for the semifinals of the Alabama Independent School Association state baseball playoffs at Paterson Field. The best-of-three series starts with a doubleheader on the first day. A third game, if necessary, will follow on the second day.

SEMIFINALS

CLASS AA

Chambers Academy vs. Southern Academy, Thursday (DH), 11 a.m. (A third game, if necessary, will be played on Friday).

Lowndes Academy vs. Clarke Prep School, Thursday (DH), 4 p.m. (A third game, if necessary, will be played on Friday).

CLASS A

Lakeside School 8-11, Hope Christian 7-2

Macon East Academy 4, Edgewood Academy 0, suspended, fourth inning. Game will resume on Friday at 10 a.m.; Game 2 will follow at approximately noon. (A third game, if necessary, will be played on Saturday at 10 a.m.)

SECOND-ROUND SCORES

CLASS AA

Chambers Academy 11-5-3, Bessemer Academy 1-15-1

Southern Academy 8-9, Fort Dale Academy 3-2

Clarke Prep School 12-13, Springwood School 2-4

Lowndes Academy 5-10-10, Morgan Academy 6-0-7

CLASS A

Lakeside School 12-15, Patrician Academy 0-3

Hope Christian 2-6, Hooper Academy 0-0

Macon East Academy 6-11, South Choctaw Academy 5-1

Edgewood Academy 2-6-10, Coosa Valley Academy 3-5-0

FIRST-ROUND SCORES

CLASS AA

Bessemer Academy 14-7, Jackson Academy 4-6

Fort Dale Academy 12-20, Success Unlimited 0-0

Morgan Academy 10-10, Monroe Academy 0-7

CLASS A

Patrician Academy 6-4-21, Heritage Christian 7-3-6

Hooper Academy 2-18-21, Abbeville Christian 13-13-11

Macon East Academy 12-14, Trinity Christian 0-2

Coosa Valley Academy 3-9, Wilcox Academy 1-6