MONTGOMERY - Standing outside the main gate at Riverwalk Stadium in downtown Montgomery on a hot and muggy Friday afternoon, a Russellville baseball parent summed up in one short sentence the predominant feeling shared by the vast majority of Golden Tiger fans who had just watched their team’s bid for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Class 5A championship end with a two-game sweep at the hands of Faith Academy.
“I know they’re upset right now,” the parent said of the 20 players and six coaches getting ready for the long ride home, “but they shouldn’t be.”
It wasn’t that Russellville was completely outclassed by Faith last week; on the contrary, if the Golden Tigers—who stranded 18 runners and struck out 18 times at the plate in two games while handing out 14 “freebies” (walks plus hit batters) on the mound—had hit and pitched to their potential, they may well have finished off the four-peat instead of suffering a pair of frustrating losses, 5-3 and 7-3. Having emerged from a loaded South bracket despite a season-ending injury to No. 2 starter Gabe Shepard (a Southern Miss signee) in mid-April, the Rams (34-3) were a deserving champion—just not the unbeatable juggernaut their No. 4 national ranking (courtesy of Perfect Game USA) might have suggested.
But despite the disappointment that comes with not playing your best when your best likely would have been enough, the prevailing sentiment still rings true: The Golden Tigers have nothing to hang their heads about. A team devoid of the SEC-level talent that propelled the program to three straight Blue Maps from 2015-17 still managed to fight and scrap and work its way back to the state finals, reaching the 30-win mark for a fourth straight year.
For the first time since the inaugural championship run in 2015, just making it to Montgomery felt like a major achievement unto itself.
Eleven Russellville baseball players will graduate Friday night, but head coach Chris Heaps spent 15 years as an assistant at Hartselle, where he was a vital part of a program that churned out championship-caliber teams year after year after year despite bidding farewell to huge senior classes each and every May. Can he and his capable staff keep the Russellville machine humming? It wouldn’t be wise to bet against him, particularly with key contributors Hunter Briles, Devin Buckhalter and Caden Parker all returning next season and a bunch of talented arms in grades 7-9 poised to make an impact in the years to come.
For now, though, Russellville’s streak of state titles has ended. It’s been an unforgettable four years, a stretch during which the Golden Tigers played 20 postseason series, won 19 of them (with 14 sweeps) and put together a remarkable record of 38-7 in playoff games—tying Spanish Fort (2010-13) for the most postseason wins in a four-year period in Class 5A history. But just in case some of the details have slipped your memory, here’s a look back at Russellville’s remarkable run.
2015 Postseason
Round 1: Swept Boaz at home, winning 10-9 and 3-2
The skinny: If not for some key defensive miscues by the visiting Pirates, Russellville’s run to its first-ever state title might have been derailed before it began. Junior lefty Bailey Thompson rescued the Golden Tigers with four hitless innings of relief on the mound, earning the save in Game 1 and the win in Game 2.
Round 2: Swept Etowah on the road, winning 16-3 and 1-0
The skinny: Sixteen hits—including home runs by junior Austin Bohannon and sophomore Judd Ward—carried Russellville to a Game 1 rout, and senior ace Jacob Green struck out nine batters in a five-hit shutout in Game 2 to out-duel Etowah sophomore Eli Dunn.
Round 3: Swept East Limestone at home, winning 11-1 and 10-3
The skinny: Bohannon clubbed a pair of two-run homers, one in each game, and the Golden Tigers finished with 24 hits in a Friday-night sweep that extended their win streak to 17 games and sent them to the state semifinals for the first time since 2007.
Round 4: Swept Alexandria on the road, winning 18-5 and 3-0
The skinny: Russellville rode another Game 1 offensive explosion (an eight-run third inning highlighted by Bohannon’s three-run blast, plus a seven-run sixth inning that included a bases-clearing double by Ward) and another Game 2 gem from Green (six strikeouts in a five-hit shutout) to a fourth straight series sweep, advancing to the state finals for the first time in program history.
State Finals: Swept Helena, winning 3-2 and 4-1
The skinny: The Golden Tigers got complete game wins from sophomore Cody Greenhill in Game 1 and Green in Game 2, plus a 5-for-7 performance at the plate from junior shortstop Reed Smith, the series MVP. The sweep of Helena gave Russellville (35-6) its first baseball state championship and a 21-game win streak to close the season.
2016 Postseason
Round 1: Swept Boaz at home, winning 12-1 and 10-0
The skinny: The drama from the previous year’s first-round series with the Pirates was quickly buried in Game 1 beneath a seven-run first-inning onslaught, one that began with a leadoff homer by Smith and ended with a grand slam by Bohannon. Fellow senior Austin Kitterman finished the two-game sweep 4-for-4 with three RBIs and five runs scored.
Round 2: Swept Lawrence County at home, winning 10-0 and 7-1
The skinny: Greenhill threw a two-hit shutout in the opener, and Bohannon struck out 12 batters in six innings of two-hit ball in Game 2 as the Golden Tigers cruised into the quarterfinals.
Round 3: Swept Alexandria at home, winning 3-2 and 12-1
The skinny: Greenhill and Bohannon took care of business on the mound, both notching their 12th win of the year while becoming the first pair of Russellville teammates to each strike out 100 batters in the same season. Ward, the team’s junior centerfielder, put on a defensive clinic in Game 1, throwing out the potential tying run at the plate in the sixth inning and snaring a sinking line drive with runners at second and third to end the game in the seventh; he then reached base four times and scored three runs in the Game 2 rout.
Round 4: Swept Corner on the road, winning 5-0 and 4-3
The skinny: In front of a massive overflow crowd at Corner High School, Greenhill completely overmatched the Yellow Jackets in Game 1, striking out 11 and allowing just one hit (an infield single). The Golden Tigers got a go-ahead sac fly from senior RBI machine Landon Oliver in Game 2 and held on to win, thanks in part to a botched squeeze play by the Yellow Jackets that resulted in a double play and killed a sixth-inning rally.
State Finals: Took two of three from Faith Academy, losing 9-1 and winning 3-0 and 5-3
The skinny: Russellville’s 19-game playoff win streak ended in stunning fashion at Paterson Field, as Faith took advantage of a handful of early errors in Game 1 to rough up Greenhill and hand him his first career postseason loss. The Golden Tigers rebounded the following day at Riverwalk, getting a two-hit shutout from series MVP Bohannon in Game 2 and six strikeouts from Kitterman and his wipeout slider in Game 3. Ward scored the decisive run in the fifth inning of the clincher, roping a triple to right-center and coming home on a wild pitch to break a 3-3 tie. Russellville (48-7) won its second straight championship and set a school record for wins in a season.
2017 Postseason
Round 1: Took two of three from Mortimer Jordan at home, winning 7-3, losing 3-1 and winning 11-0
The skinny: Skylar Holland’s three-run homer in the second inning of Game 1 was a knockout blow, but the Blue Devils got up off the deck to win Game 2 behind a two-run blast and six strong innings from ace Dalton Hall. After going just 8-for-46 at the plate in Friday’s doubleheader, Russellville banged out nine extra-base hits (including three home runs) on Saturday to take the series with a rout. Ward hit for the cycle in Game 3, and junior reserve Jeff Lloyd punctuated the win with a walk-off blast in the bottom of the sixth.
Round 2: Swept Arab on the road, winning 13-2 and 13-3
The skinny: Ward jumpstarted the Game 1 rout with a two-run homer in the top of the first and finished the day 5-for-8 with two doubles and a triple. An under-the-weather Greenhill struck out eight and didn’t allow an earned run in the opener, and senior Chad Wray picked up his first career playoff win in Game 2 to finish off the sweep.
Round 3: Swept Etowah at home, winning 3-0 and 5-1
The skinny: Greenhill dominated Game 1, setting a new career playoff-high with 12 strikeouts in seven innings and also breaking the school’s single-season record with his 16th home run, a two-run shot off Blue Devil ace Eli Dunn. Wray followed suit with 12 strikeouts in the nightcap, holding Etowah to four hits in a complete game.
Round 4: Swept Ardmore at home, winning 6-0 and 7-3
The skinny: After winning semifinal series at Alexandria and at Corner the previous two years, the Golden Tigers got a chance to celebrate clinching a trip to Montgomery on their home field for a change. Greenhill struck out seven in six shutout innings in Game 1, and Wray battled through a rocky first couple of innings to win the nightcap. Ward reached base six times in the doubleheader, sealing Game 2 with a late two-run double.
State Finals: Took two of three from Faith Academy, winning 9-1, losing 8-7 and winning 7-4
The skinny: Greenhill got revenge on the Rams in Game 1, touching 94 on the radar gun and striking out 11 batters in a two-hit tour de force. Faith extended the series with a three-run rally in the seventh inning of Game 2, but the Golden Tigers—sparked by a walk and a triple from senior leadoff man Colin Garrison—jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in Game 3. The Rams rallied again and had the tying runs on base in the top of the seventh, but junior reliever Rudy Fernandez got the final out on a groundball to second to seal the win and a third straight championship for Russellville (38-10). Greenhill took home series MVP honors, edging out Holland, who picked up the win in Game 3 with six strong innings and also finished the series 7-for-9 at the plate with four RBIs.
2018 Postseason
Round 1: Swept Etowah at home, winning 7-3 and 7-3
The skinny: Landon Ezzell homered and went the distance on the mound to win the opener; Fernandez followed suit with a three-run blast and a complete game to win Game 2 and seal Russellville’s third playoff sweep of Etowah in the past four years.
Round 2: Took two of three from Lee-Huntsville on the road, losing 3-2 in eight innings and winning 10-2 and 13-1
The skinny: Lee walked off with a win in Game 1 (pushed back to Saturday due to wet field conditions) to put Russellville’s four-peat bid in early jeopardy, but the Golden Tigers rallied from an early 1-0 deficit in Game 2 to score six runs in the third inning and win going away. Monday’s Game 3 was a rout, with junior pitcher Caden Parker striking out eight batters in six innings and seniors Noah Gist, Houston Kitterman and Brock Malone collecting two hits apiece.
Round 3: Took two of three from Springville at home, losing 19-15 and winning 18-7 and 6-4
The skinny: Springville mashed its way to a stunning 14-0 lead after three innings in Game 1 and then held on for the win. Russellville rebounded in Game 2 behind a pair of grand slams from Ezzell, overcoming three more homers by the visiting Tigers to even the series. Fernandez was the Game 3 hero, holding Springville’s big bats in check for five-plus innings and then tying the game 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI double. He later scored the go-ahead run, and senior reliever Jaret Ward finished off the win with the help of an incredible game-ending, series-clinching 6-4-3 double play turned by Parker and Malone in the top of the seventh.
Round 4: Swept Mortimer Jordan at home, winning 12-4 and 7-0
The skinny: A pair of three-run homers (one by Ezzell, the other by Lloyd) in the first inning of Game 1 set the tone for a day of domination by the Golden Tigers, who got six innings of nine-strikeout, two-hit ball from Parker in Game 2 to punch their ticket to Montgomery for a fourth straight season.
State Finals: Got swept by Faith Academy, losing 5-3 and 7-3
The skinny: Russellville managed only four hits in Game 1 off ace lefty Reece Ewing, who finished with 10 strikeouts in 6.1 innings. The Golden Tigers scored twice in the seventh and had the tying run at the plate with just one out, but sophomore Eli Giles closed out the win for the Rams. Trailing 2-1 midway through Game 2, Russellville loaded the bases with just one out in the bottom of the fourth but failed to scratch. Faith scored a run in the top of the fifth and then four more in the sixth, getting a three-run double from senior catcher Chris Sargent. The Golden Tigers (30-17) scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 7-3, but they left the bases loaded again and would get no closer.
Over the past four seasons, Russellville is 151-40, with four area championships, 38 playoff wins and three state titles. The Golden Tigers remain one of only three teams (along with Hartselle from 1990-92 and Spanish Fort from 2010-12) to go back-to-back-to-back as Class 5A champions.
