HANCEVILLE -- Andrew Prichard’s mammoth two-run homer in the top of the eighth broke a 5-5 tie and propelled fifth-seeded Faulkner State to a 7-5 triumph over Southern Union, one of the top seeds, in a winner’s bracket game in the Alabama Community College Conference Tournament Thursday night.
Prichard finished 2-for-4 with the homer for the Sun Chiefs, who were playing their first game in the tournament since last Saturday.
Faulkner State (36-19) had received a two-day bye after its win over Wallace State last weekend, but it turned into an extended break after three days in the tournament were suspended because of rain.
John Ladnier (6-2) was the winning pitcher for Faulkner State. He worked five innings out of the bullpen and allowed two runs on six hits.
Travis Corley went the final two innings to pick up the save. He inherited runners at first and second with no outs in the eighth, but sneaked out of the jam.
Faulkner State grabbed an early 4-0 lead in the top of the first on a grand slam by catcher Michael Tedseco.
Southern Union’s Matthew Burnside cut into the lead with a three-run homer in the second and Todd McRae’s two-run blast in the third handed the Bison a 5-4 advantage.
Faulkner State tied it at 5-5 in the sixth on an infield RBI single by Josh Huggins before Prichard’s heroics in the eighth.
Huggins and Prichard both had a pair of hits for Faulkner State.
McRae finished 3-for-4 for Southern Union (41-15) and Kyle Granger added two hits.
Chase Whitley started for Southern Union and went six innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits. He walked seven and struck out 10.
Kyle Glover was tagged with the loss in relief.
Southern Union will play Jeff State at 9 a.m. Friday, while Faulkner State plays at 3 p.m. against the winner of the Shelton State-Northwest Shoals contest, which did not start until 9 p.m. Thursday.
Chattahoochee Valley 11, Jeff Davis 9
Kevin Putkonen had three hits, including a three-run homer and six RBIs as the Pirates held off Jeff Davis and overcame six errors in the ACCC Tournament Thursday afternoon.
Putkonen had a three-run double in the second and a three-run homer in the third to help the Pirates scoot out to a 9-1 advantage.
Jeff Davis chipped away by scoring four runs in the fifth and ninth innings, but the rally fell short in the ninth.
Ryan Noelte finished 4-for-5 with a pair of RBIs, while Tom Richardson and Donte Williams each added two hits for CVCC (38-18).
Johnny Gunter picked up the win and moved to 12-3 on the season for the Pirates. He went seven innings and gave up eight hits and no earned runs. He struck out six and walked one.
For Jeff Davis, Cody Sanderson had two hits, including a solo homer. Blake Long was 3-for-5 with an RBI and Ryne Phillips, Cody Turner and Ben Negus each had multi-hit games.
Jeff Davis closed the season at 28-21.
Chattahoochee Valley plays the loser of the Northwest Shoals-Shelton State game at noon Friday.
Jeff State 10, Calhoun 8 (10 innings)
Jeff State’s Chris Ross had the game-winning two-run single in the top of the tenth to keep the Pioneers alive in the ACCC Tournament.
Ross finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored for Jeff State. Greg Casebier finished 3-for-4 with a solo homer and four RBIs, Matt Ford had three hits and two RBIs and Zach Thomas added three hits and a run.
Jeff State’s Kyle Parrish (6-3) picked up the win in relief.
Catcher Jackson Woodruff led Calhoun at the plate with a perfect 4-for-4 afternoon. He blasted a solo homer and scored three runs. William Morrison contributed a two-run homer and Derrick Hardwood and Russ Stephenson each had a pair of hits.
Calhoun closed the season at 29-20.
Jeff State (38-19) plays Southern Union at 9 a.m. Friday in an elimination game.
ACCC STATS
Cassie Daniels