Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Valley Rams faced St. Paul’s Episcopal in Mobile in the second round of the 5A baseball playoffs and Friday and came away with a split in the doubleheader. 

 

Game One: Valley – 7 St. Paul’s Episcopal – 4

 

Game one on the road was a matchup of rallies. Valley eventually closed things out and came away with a 7-4 win. 

The Rams got the scoring started in the top of the second inning as Mason Yarbrough drove in a run with a triple. Rush Nelson came in as a courtesy runner for Yarbrough and scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. Valley added another run in the top of the fourth inning as Ty Monteith scored on an error. 

Up by just one run going into the top of the seventh, the Rams sealed the game. C.J. Chambley drove a ball into center field and scored on an inside-the-park home run that also drove in Matthew Mcdonald and Jackson Sanders. Carter Green put the final touches as he drove in another run with a single to make it 7-2. 

Valley had a big lead, but the final half-inning was not without its controversy. The first batter reached on an error with Carter Green on the mound, and the second batter he faced cranked a two-run home run over the right field fence. 

After Green hit the next batter, Mcdonald came out of the bullpen and sealed things for the Rams on the mound. 

Sanders got the start on the mound and was his usual self. Sanders allowed just three hits, two earned runs and six walks while striking out 10 batters in six innings of work. 

Chambley led the Rams at the plate with two hits and three RBIs. Monteith, Mcdonald and Yarbrough all added two hits. 

 

Game Two: Valley – 1 St. Paul’s – 2

 

Runs were few and far between, and the Saints took the lead early and never gave it away. St. Paul’s scored in the top of the first inning as a batter was hit with the bases loaded and a sacrifice fly gave the Saints a 2-0 lead. 

The Rams struck back in the bottom of the second inning as Braylon drew a bases-loaded walk to get Valley on the board. 

The Rams had several chances to tie the game late. The Rams had runners on first and second in the bottom of the fifth, but the Saints forced a fielder’s choice to end the inning. Valley had the same opportunity in the bottom of the seventh as Mcdonald reached on an error. Sanders drew a walk, but St. Paul’s forced another ground ball to end the game. 

Chambley got the start on the mound and allowed two hits and eight walks while striking out three batters in four innings. Logan Seymour relieved Chambley in the fifth inning and finished off the game, allowing no hits and one walk with two strikeouts. 

With the split, the Valley Rams are now 23-5 on the season. Valley will face St. Paul’s on Saturday in a win or go home scenario.