Tuscaloosa County Baseball Wins its First-Ever State Championship

JACKSONVILLE, Ala.- Tuscaloosa County (34-13) defeats Enterprise (34-2) 2-0 to secure the school’s first-ever state championship in the 7A AHSAA State Finals, which saw the Wildcats dominate in both game one and game two.

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TCHS secured a dominating 8-1 victory in game one on Thursday, which saw the Wildcats’ first baseman Kole Nicholson, a Gadsden State baseball recruit, jack a two-run home run in County High’s seven-run win. 

Tuscaloosa County outscored Enterprise 15-1 throughout their two-game series in the state finals. 

In game two, Tuscaloosa County took the lead early by scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. Brooks Mellown contributed with an RBI ground out, and an error by Enterprise’s shortstop allowed the Wildcats to go ahead 2-0 as they entered the bottom of the first inning. Mellown also had a strong performance on the mound for the Wildcats.

The Wildcats' defense has been outstanding during their playoff run, but this series was top-notch with Tuscaloosa County holding the Wildcats from Enterprise to one run throughout the two games in the State Finals, with game two seeing Enterprise not score a single run with Mellown recording eight strikeouts throughout his seven innings pitched in County High’s 7-0 win.

Both teams played outstanding defense over the next three innings, preventing either side from scoring. Enterprise showed some life on offense in the bottom of the third inning, recording two singles that put runners on first and second. However, Mellown prevented Enterprise's attempt to score by forcing a pop fly to right field, which County High's Jashaun Moten made an athletic play on to secure the final out of the inning. This left two runners stranded on base for Enterprise, a situation they struggled with in their game one loss against the Wildcats from Tuscaloosa, where they left ten runners on base.

Tuscaloosa County added to its lead in the top of the fourth inning, which saw Dillon Dubose rip a 2-RBI single down the middle to center field, giving the Wildcats a 4-0 lead going into the bottom half of the fourth inning. 

Pinch hitter Drew Jackson made the game out of reach in the top of the sixth inning when he replaced Mellown at bat. Jackson drove in two runs with a line drive single to left field, putting Tuscaloosa County ahead 6-0. Not stopping there, Drew Keller further increased the score by hitting an RBI single to left field, extending the Wildcats' lead to seven runs. With only six outs remaining in Friday's elimination game two.

Enterprise tried to make a push in the bottom of the sixth inning after the Wildcats hit a one-out double. However, Mellown quickly ended their hopes of scoring by retiring the next two batters. As a result, the sixth inning concluded with the score still at 7-0 as they headed into the final inning of play.

Mellown went on to complete his shutout in game two’s 7-0 win, with Tuscaloosa County’s pitcher forcing Enterprise to three straight outs with 

Tuscaloosa County now claims bragging rights over the whole classification of 7A in Alabama high school baseball for the first time in the school’s history. 

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