By Joshua Huff, sports editor
HOOVER — The Hewitt-Trussville baseball team bounced back from consecutive losses at the eighth annual 2020 Perfect Game High School Showcase with a 10-6 victory over Bob Jones to claim third place in the Blue bracket.
The victory for the Huskies avenged this past season’s 5-4 loss to Bob Jones in the Class 7A state championship semifinals. That defeat ended Hewitt-Trussville’s season while Bob Jones advanced into the title game against McGill-Toolen Catholic, which proceed to win the crown, 8-6, 7-11, 7-6.
Despite not winning the Blue bracket, the Huskies finished in third place behind Buford and champion Mountain Brook. The Spartans defeated Buford, 1-0, and finished the showcase undefeated (4-0).
RHP Riley Quick (@rileyquick12 2022 AL) opening up at 86-90 mph with varying life. Raw delivery and some power to the breaking ball at 78-80. XL frame with real arm strength. #Uncommitted #PGHSShowdown
pic.twitter.com/mg4tMBUt1H— Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) March 7, 2020
Bob Jones, which entered the event No. 8 in the country, according to Perfect Game, opened the showcase with two consecutive wins in pool play before falling to Mountain Brook and Hewitt-Trussville in bracket play.
Against Bob Jones, the Huskies were spurred by an offense that had scored just two combined runs in losses to Rockmart (Ga.) and Buford. Trey Burrell followed his three hit, three RBI game against IMG Black with a double and three RBI against Bob Jones. Hudson Boren added two hits with two RBI and Matt Miller recorded two hits with one RBI.
Michael Fowler finished with a double, Kahlin Drake had two hits and Jackson Holland and Tyler Mauldin scored two runs each.
Sophomore pitcher Austin King picked up the win in relief.
The 2020 Perfect Game High School Showcase is the host to a 36-team field with eight teams ranked in the Perfect Game high school top 50 national rankings, along with hundreds of nationally ranked prospects from the prep classes of 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
The event spanned Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Hoover Met Sports Complex and Hoover High School.
All the competing teams came from the Perfect Game high school Florida and Southeast regions, which include: No. 3-ranked DeSoto Central (Mississippi), No. 8 Bob Jones (Alabama), No. 10 Parkview (Georgia), No. 22 Westminster Christian (Florida), No. 31 Buford (Georgia), No. 32 Hoover (Alabama), No. 37 Houston County (Georgia) and No. 44 Smiths Station (Alabama).
Pool Blue D | PCT | W | L | T | RA | RS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hewitt-Trussville Huskies | 0.500 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
Rockmart Yellow Jackets | 0.500 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
IMG Academy Black | 0.500 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 |
Pool Blue Semifinals | PCT | W | L | T | RA | RS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buford Wolves | 1.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Mountain Brook Spartans | 1.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Hewitt-Trussville Huskies | 0.000 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Bob Jones Patriots | 0.000 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 |