By Jeff Devine
JACKSONVILLE—After dropping the opener of the AHSAA Class 2A State Baseball Championship Series on Monday, Ariton responded in championship fashion Tuesday, winning back-to-back games at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium to secure its third state title in four seasons.
The Purple Cats closed the season with a 34-9 record, setting a new school mark for wins in a season while also breaking the program’s stolen base record with an impressive 161 steals during the year.
Ariton showed resilience throughout the decisive third game, using a late offensive surge to defeat Mars Hill Bible 5-2 and clinch the championship.
The Purple Cats grabbed an early advantage, leading 2-1 through the opening two innings, but Mars Hill Bible battled back to even the score in the bottom of the sixth. The Panthers tied the game when Luke Fowler delivered an RBI double that brought Bryce Graham home from third.
With the championship hanging in the balance entering the seventh inning, Ariton’s offense delivered. Brodie Lowery started the rally with a single to center, followed by another base hit from Easton Kilpatrick. Addison Senn then drove in the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice before Bryson Rhett lined an RBI single to right. Asa Thompson added another run-scoring hit later in the inning to stretch the lead to 5-2.
Freshman Ridge Hicks turned in a strong performance on the mound for the Purple Cats, pitching six innings while allowing two runs on six hits and striking out four batters. Sophomore Pierce Gill closed the door in the seventh, giving up one hit while recording two strikeouts to earn the save.
“Hicks is just a ninth grader, but he let me know he would be ready to pitch the third game,” Ariton coach Bob Pickett said. “And he was ready.”
Pickett credited his team’s experience away from home for helping prepare the Purple Cats for the postseason run, noting that Ariton played only one playoff series on its home field.
“They were all in bed last night by 9:30 because they knew why we were here,” Pickett said. “This is our third championship in four years, and Coach Willingham’s team was extremely prepared. That’s one of the best teams we’ve faced during this stretch.”
When asked what factors contributed most to Ariton’s championship run, Pickett pointed to the bond within the team and the leadership provided by the senior class.
“Team chemistry and his teamwork ethic were the biggest contributing factors,” Pickett said. “They love each other, and they were always willing to put the work in. Great leadership from the SR class.”
Pickett also reflected on what the title meant to both the players and the Ariton community.
“It feels great,” Pickett said. “Just ever proud and happy for my players and the community of Ariton.”
One of the biggest moments of the deciding game came in the fifth inning with Ariton protecting a one-run lead. After Mars Hill Bible put a runner aboard, Christian O’Rear ripped a line drive toward the right side, but Lowery made a diving catch before quickly throwing to first to complete a momentum-changing double play.
“That was very big,” Pickett said of the defensive sequence.
Mars Hill Bible coach Josh Willingham, a former Major League Baseball player with 11 seasons in the big leagues, praised the play as well.
“They made a great play,” Willingham said. “If you play baseball long enough, you know some days those plays go your way and some days they don’t.”
Senn capped off an outstanding day by earning Class 2A Series MVP honors. Earlier Tuesday, the junior right-hander dominated in Game 2, throwing a two-hit complete game with 13 strikeouts to help force the winner-take-all finale.
Senn also contributed offensively in Game 3 with a hit and two RBIs. Lowery collected two hits, Gill added a triple and an RBI, Conner Davidson finished with three hits, and Rhett drove in a run for the Purple Cats.
Mars Hill Bible’s Cody Willis paced the Panthers offensively in the finale with a double and two singles, while Fowler added the game-tying RBI double in the sixth inning.
In Tuesday’s earlier elimination game, Mars Hill Bible took an early 1-0 lead before Ariton answered with a three-run third inning and later added three more runs in the sixth to keep its season alive.
Lowery delivered a key two-run single in the win, while Kilpatrick added two RBIs, and Hayes Hammock recorded two hits. For the Panthers, Brooks Campbell doubled, and Willis added a hit. Campbell took the loss after allowing six runs across five innings, while reliever Cole Agee worked the final two innings.
The championship marks another milestone for the Purple Cats program under Pickett, as Ariton continues to establish itself as one of the premier Class 2A baseball programs in Alabama
PHOTOS ABOVE BY GANEY PHOTOGRAPHY
