Baseball Conquerors Win First of Three in Alabama Showdown

A three-run bottom of the fourth gave the Conquerors the lead, and the team tacked on some insurance in the opener of the annual Perfect Game High School Showdown in Hoover, Alabama. The Conquerors defeated the Falcons of Florence High School (Florence, Alabama) 5-1 Thursday afternoon.

Trailing 1-0 and hitless as they came to the plate, the Conquerors rallied for three runs in the bottom of the fourth to overtake Florence, a Top 20 Alabama 7A team. Noah Couch’s RBI fielder’s choice ground ball drove in Colton Avera, who singled to get on base. Ethan Wilford followed by drawing a walk to load the bases, and Logan Dantzler singled into center to bring in Couch and Kameron McDougald, Wilford’s courtesy runner.

The Conquerors added two more in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Avera and a double from D-1 UNF commit Eric Fouraker. Ashton Nugent (hit by pitch) and Jacob Miller (double) scored on the plays.

Southpaw Brady Ellison (W: 1-0, 2.10 ERA) went the distance and held the Falcons in check all afternoon. Ellison worked 7 innings, allowing 1 earned run on 5 scattered hits while walking 1 and fanning 6, including striking out the side in the seventh inning, to earn the complete-game win.

Florence’s Noah Toney drove in Caleb Mahan (single) with a base hit in the top of the fourth to put the Falcons on the board first.

The Conquerors (2-0) will play two more games on Friday against teams undetermined at this time. They will then have a week off before hitting the field for their home opener against Pace High School (Atlanta, Georgia) at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 11. Tallahassee’s North Florida Christian comes to Trinity Ballyard for a 10:00 a.m. contest on Saturday, March 12.

Eight more home games will follow between March 16 and 31.