WSN baseball splits at Thomasville Friday to still eye playoffs

Published 10:51 am Monday, April 2, 2012

The W.S. Neal Eagle baseball team did their part to help them make the class 4A state playoffs Friday in Thomasville, now they have to get a little help from the Jackson Aggies—a team that beat W.S. Neal earlier this spring—or the AHSAA tie-breaking policies.
After rallying to defeat Thomasville 4-3 Thursday at home, the Eagles needed one win at Thomasville Friday to take the series. In game one Friday, W.S. Neal won 9-6 to clinch the series. In the third game of the series, W.S. Neal lost 10-0.
The Eagles of East Brewton improved their record to 16-7 overall and finished area play 6-2. The two losses coming from Jackson.
According to W.S. Neal head coach Coy Campbell, the Eagles will be the area runner-up to Jackson if the Aggies beat Thomasville in one area game in the two teams area series.
Thomasville and Jackson will play April 11 at Thomasville and two games April 12 at Jackson.
“If Thomasville sweeps Jackson, there will be a three-way tie between us, Thomasville and Jackson,” Campbell said. “Then we will have to go to the book to break the tie.”
According to the AHSAA 2012 spring sports book, here is the official tie-breaking procedures:
In the event there is a percentage tie by two or more teams in the area standings,
the area champion (or runner-up) will be determined by applying the following tie-
breaking factors in the order listed, beginning with (a) if two teams are tied or (k) if
more than two teams are tied. Tournament games will not be used in applying any of
the tiebreaking factors.
A tie for the area championship will be resolved first, then the runner-up will be
resolved by applying the appropriate set of tiebreaking factors, in the order listed, for
all other teams involved in the tie.
If a certain tiebreaker does not resolve the tie, apply the next factor in the order
listed. Forfeited contests count as losses. If all tied teams have not played in the designated category of a certain tiebreaker factor, then that factor would not apply.
If Two Teams Tie…
(a) …the team which defeated the other in both regular season area games will
be the area champion and the other team the area runner-up. If two teams are
tied percentage-wise for area runner-up, the team which defeated the other in
both regular season area games will be the runner-up.
(b) …and the two teams split their two regular season area games, the team which
had the highest winning percentage in any non-area games against each other
will be the area champion (or runner-up).
(c) …and the two teams split their two regular season area games, the team which
had the highest winning percentage in any non-area games against the other
area teams. (In order for this tiebreaker to apply, each tied team must have
played the same number of non-area games against any of the other area
teams.)
(d) …and the two teams split their two regular season area games, the team which
had the highest winning percentage against all common, non-area opponents
in its class will be the area champion (or runner-up).
(e) …and the two teams split their two regular season area games, the team which
had the highest winning percentage against all common, non-area opponents
in its class and above will be the area champion (or runner-up).
W.S. Neal was scheduled to play at T.R. Miller Tuesday and will travel to Jeff Davis in Montgomery Saturday for a noon doubleheader.

Friday game one: WSN 9, Thomasville 6
Four runs in the first inning and four runs in the seventh inning keyed a 9-6 win for W.S. Neal over Thomasville in game one Friday in Thomasville.
W.S. Neal led Thomasville 4-1 after the first inning and 5-1 after the second.
After Thomasville plated one run in the fifth and sixth innings to cut the lead to 5-3, W.S. Neal added four insurance runs in the top of the seventh to take a 9-3 lead.
Thomasville would make things interesting in the bottom of the inning with three runs of their own, but the Eagles hung on for the win by three, 9-6.
Keith Bradley earned the win on the mound going 6 1/3 innings and allowing 10 hits, four earned runs and struck out six.
Jeremy Myers earned the save going 2/3 of an innings and allowing one hit and struck out one.
Damion Williams was 2-for-4 at the plate and Reid Johnson was 1-for-3 with one RBI. Brian Settle was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Dylan Godwin was 2-for-2 with two RBIs.
Myers was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

Game two: Thomasville 10, WSN 0
In game two, Thomasville blanked the Eagles 10-0 in five innings.
Thomasville scored four runs in the first inning and six in the third to get the win.
Myers, Cam Blackman and Tyler Joyner all pitched in the loss.
The trio allowed eight hits in the loss.
At the plate, Williams led W.S. Neal with a 2-for-3 day.

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