One more win.
That’s all the Russellville Golden Tigers need to bring home the programs fourth state championship and they’ll have two opportunities to notch that final win beginning tomorrow at 10 a.m. at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery.
But before the Golden Tigers could think about clinching a game two (or three) victory to give them the title, they had to get through Pike Road in game one first.
The Patriots got on the board first in the bottom of the second after an uncharacteristic error by Eli Gipson allowed the first run of the game to cross the plate.
But that’s all the Patriots would get, as the Golden Tigers would send their ace to the mound in Emitt Green in hopes of another strong performance from the Junior right hander.
And they got exactly what they needed.
Simply put, Green was spectacular on the mound for Russellville, spinning 6.1 innings of one-run ball with three strikeouts and only three hits allowed.
While Green was busy dominating on the mound, Jackson Lindsey was serving up doubles like they were going out of style in game one. After collecting a double in the first inning, the senior first baseman smacked another double to right centerfield to bring home Grayson Thorpe and Eli Gipson to give Russellville a 2-1 lead in the top of the third.
Russellville and Pike Road would trade a couple of hits without pushing a run across. Lindsey reached via a walk and then advanced on a throwing error by Patriot pitcher Lucas Baggett.
Then Canyon Pace strolled to the plate with the insurance run that the Golden Tigers needed just 90 feet away.
And Pace delivered.
The Junior catcher for Russellville came through with an RBI single through the left side of the infield to score Lindsey and extend the Russellville lead to 3-1.
That would prove to be enough despite the Patriots getting a couple of runners on in the bottom of the 7th as Reed Hill would come on in relief of Green and allowed just one hit while striking out one to get the save.
The Golden Tigers will look to bring home the programs fourth state title since 2015 and can do so with a win in either game two or three tomorrow morning.
Russellville’s own WGOL 100.7 FM and 920 AM will have every pitch of the Golden Tigers quest for a fourth state championship with pregame slated for 9:45 a.m.
