Edward McLeod homered in both games as Class 5A No. 3 St. Paul’s swept Greenville 20-2, 13-0 in the first round of the playoffs.

McLeod hit a grand slam in Game 1 and a 2-run homer in the nightcap as the Saints improved to 21-10. John Stowers also hit a 2-run homer in the first game. Tate Farrell got the win, allowing 2 hits and an earned run in 4 innings.

Bradley Irish got the win in the nightcap, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 9 in 3 innings. Tate Johnston was 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs.

The Saints will play either Valley or Elberta in the second round next week.

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CLASS 6A

Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 12-5, Faith Academy 5-2

Unranked Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa swept past No. 4 Faith Academy in the first round of the playoffs.

The Patriots scored 6 runs in the top of the sixth to break Game 1 wide open. J. Jameson Farley and Evan Williams each drove in 2 runs for Hillcrest. Jackson Henderson went 3-for-4 and Brooks Tunnell and Gunnar Hobson had 2 hits each. Williams pithed the first 5.2 innings to get the win.

Hillcrest (24-10) knocked around Faith ace Eli Driskell for 6 hits and 5 runs in 4 innings. He was the first of five Ram pitchers. Carlos Ortiz went 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs for Faith (21-7).

In Game 2, the Patriots took a 5-0 lead into the top of the seventh before giving up 2 runs but ultimately working out of a bases-loaded jam to secure the sweep. Spencer Davis got Ortiz to pop out for the final out.

Hillcrest’s big inning came in the bottom of the sixth when the Patriots scored 4 runs. They finished with 10 hits in the game compared to just 1 for Faith. Henderson went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs. Farley added 2 more hits. Barkley Crawford was 2-for-2 with an RBI.

Baldwin County 10-4, Helena 7-3

Eli Woody’s RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 2 lifted Baldwin County to a road sweep of No. 6-ranked Helena.

Brayden Bryars got the final 2 outs in the top of the seventh to get the win. Brayden Dockery took the loss for the Huskies. Woody and Reid Johnson each had 2 hits for the Tigers. Quincy Walters and Jackson Paul each had RBIs.

John Martin Williamson had 3 hits for Helena. Ty Stricklin and Davis Kelley each drove in a run. Braydon Kendrick walked 3 times.

The two teams combined for 17 runs on 25 hits in the opener. The Tigers built a 10-2 lead after four innings. Woody and Landen Walker each drove in 3 runs for Baldwin County. Jaxen Schuler pitched 5.2 innings to get the win. Paul got the save. Trey Lampman took the loss for Helena.

Hartselle 6-3, Homewood 2-0

The top-ranked Tigers swept No. 10 Homewood at home on Friday to advance in the Class 6A playoffs. Hartselle improved to 26-7 on the year.

Homewood opened the scoring in the top of the first inning of Game 1, but the 1-0 advantage proved to be the Patriot only lead of the day at Hartselle. The Tigers responded in the bottom of the inning with 2 runs before Homewood tied the game in the fourth. The home team pushed across 3 in the bottom of the fifth and added another in the sixth for the final margin.

Jace Meadows struck out 9 Homewood batters on the way to the complete-game win. He allowed 2 runs – 1 earned – on 4 hits with a pair of walks.

Peyton Steele went 2-for-3 with a home run and a double with 3 RBIs and a run scored. Cam Palahach was 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs. Brody Leathers, Cade Miles and Asher Doepel also had base hits for Hartselle.

Jack Ross had a double in 3 at-bats and an RBI for Homewood (19-12). Levi Nickoli was 1-for-2 with a run scored and Jack Bland had an RBI.

Ross also took the loss for the Patriots, allowing 5 runs – 4 earned – on 5 hits with 6 strikeouts with 3 walks in 4.1 innings. Nickoli gave up an earned run on a hit with 2 strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning. Cooper Sain pitched an inning, allowing an unearned run on 1 hit with a walk.

In Game 2, Nic Chumley earned the win, teaming with Leathers and Cole Miles for the shutout. Chumley, the starter, went 6 innings, giving up 6 hits with 5 strikeouts. Leathers walked a batter before Miles finished the game, allowing a hit and striking out a batter.

Jo Williamson went 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs in the win. Leathers was 3-for-4 and Lawson Williams was 1-for-4 with an RBI. Doepel was 2-for-2 with 2 runs scored.

Ross had a double in 3 at-bat for Homewood. Jackson Warren was 2-for-3, Bland and Cooper Mullins were both 1-for-2 and Will Siegel finished 1-for-3.

Carson Brown took the loss for Homewood, allowing 3 earned runs on 7 hits with 6 strikeouts and a walk over 4.1 innings. Jack Sain pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing a hit with 2 strikeouts and a walk.

Spanish Fort 4-7, Calera 2-3

No. 7 Spanish Fort, last year’s Class 6A runner-up, moved into the second round with a sweep of visiting Calera.

Ethan Kick earned the win in the opener, giving up five hits and two runs over six innings. Will Harrison took the loss for Calera. John Henry Winstead collected the save.

Caleb Chesser drove in two runs for the Toros. Newton Gardner also had an RBI. DeCarl White was 2-for-3 with two RBIs for the Eagles (14-13).

Spanish Fort (23-10) took a 5-0 lead in Game 2 and held off a Calera rally in the seventh. Kick homered and drove in two. Winstead and Grant Howard each had two hits. Winstead started and got the win.

CLASS 5A

Mobile Christian 8-16, Demopolis 1-9

The ninth-ranked Leopards pounded out 24 runs on 21 hits in a doubleheader sweep at Demopolis.

Mobile Christian improved to 17-9.

Damien Gaston homered and drove in a pair of runs in the opener. Brady Keller doubled and had a pair of RBIs. Bryce Rivers and PJ Brown each had 2 hits for the Leopards. Zach McKinion went the distance to get the win, striking out 7. Jake Bumgarner took the loss for the Tigers (12-11).

In Game 2, Mobile Christian broke open a 7-7 tie with 6 runs in the bottom of the fourth. Aiden Gaston, Chandler Carpenter and Carson Cooper all had 3 RBIs for the Leopards. Gatson drove in 2. Reid Schmitz pitched the final 4.1 innings to get the win.

CLASS 4A

Westminster Christian 3-3, Cordova 2-0

Fifth-ranked Westminster Christian advanced to the second round with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Cordova on Friday.

The Wildcats will play at Brooks next weekend after the Lions swept Hanceville 6-0 and 2-0 on Friday.

“I’m proud of our guys,” Westminster head coach Jason Anderson said. “They grinded out two wins. We pitched it well all day and were able to score enough to get it done. I’m looking forward to next week at Brooks.”

In Game 1, the Wildcats overcame 4 errors as starting pitcher Jackson Lange kept the Blue Devils in check. He gave up an earned run on 3 hits and struck out 6 in 6.2 innings.

Westminster managed 5 hits against Cordova starter Jordan Gant – scoring a run in the second inning, another in the third and 1 in the fifth to lead 3-1 headed into the top of the seventh. Cordova’s Lucas Vance reached and took second on an error. After Chesley Harbison flew out and Lange struck out Brandon Graves, Vance scored on another error to narrow the margin to 3-2.

Sean Lapinskes relieved Lange after the starter hit a batter to put runners on first and second. He struck out the final Blue Devil batter to end the game.

In Game 2, Joshua Goode pitched 6 scoreless innings, giving up 4 hits with 3 strikeouts. Goode needed 77 pitches before Lapinskes threw the final inning with a groundout and a pair of strikeouts.

Westminster Christian had 6 hits, with second baseman Amos Baldwin going 3-for-3 with an RBI.

Lawson Collier drove in Baldwin and Trey Perkins in the top of the third to give the Wildcats all the runs they would need. Baldwin’s single up the middle in the sixth brought home Lapinskes for the final score.

Cordova starter Brandon Graves took the loss, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits with 5 strikeouts.

– Jimmy Lay

Bayside Academy 4-4, Northside 0-9

Northside scored 9 runs in the bottom of the sixth in Game 2 on Friday to salvage a split with No. 2-ranked Bayside Academy.

The deciding game will be played at 1 p.m. Saturday in Daphne.

Bayside (20-7) shut out Northside in the opener. Carson Joyner scattered 4 hits and struck out 8 in 5 innings. W. Norton and Gatlin Pitts pitched a scoreless inning each.

Teague Broadhead went 2-for-2 with a triple and an RBI. David Lilley drove in 2 runs. Will Skelton went the distance and took the loss for Northside (14-13).

In the nightcap, Bayside took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning after 5 scoreless innings from Broadhead, but three relievers gave up 9 runs – all earned.

Brody Abernathy and Rowdy McBride drove in 2 runs each for Northside. Griffen Roberts got the win with 2 innings of relief.

Orange Beach 6-3, American Christian 1-7

In a battle of top 10 teams, No. 10 American Christian took a quick 4-0 lead in Game 2 and held on for a win and a split with No. 6 Orange Beach.

The teams will play a deciding Game 3 Saturday.

In the opener, the Makos scored a pair of runs in the first and never trailed. They added 3 in the fifth and another in the seventh. Ryan Gober was 3-for-4 with a solo homer, 3 runs scored and an RBI. Hayden Barber and Tripp Carter each drove in 2 runs.

ACA roared back in the nightcap to even the series. Eric Hines homered and drove in 2 runs. Evan Lightsey and Henry McCaskill also had 2 RBIs each. Coltyn Mitchell went the distance on the mound for the Patriots, allowing 3 hits and 3 runs and striking out 9.

This post will be updated