A sophomore from Wetumpka did something 27 other teams hadn’t been able to do against Stanhope Elmore’s baseball program until Thursday.
Jaxon Shineflew, the Indians’ starting pitcher against the Mustangs, pitched a complete game shutout to clinch an area championship for Wetumpka in a 2-0 affair behind a stout performance by his defense and a key two-run single by Garrit Terrell.
“It feels amazing,” Shineflew said. “I wasn’t able to get as many strikeouts as I wanted, but they hit the ball right to my teammates who made the plays they needed to.”
Shineflew allowed three total baserunners, all via singles, through seven innings of work. He struck out three Stanhope batters. No Mustang baserunner did so much as reach third base.
The players behind him had his back.
Stanhope stung two line drives off Shineflew in the second inning of play, but Wetumpka third baseman Kyle Morrison snagged one and shortstop Ty Brooks stabbed another.
In the fifth Stanhope right fielder Colin Woodham advanced to second base after a bunt hit and a sacrifice bunt, but a line drive to center fielder Douglas Johnson ended the threat.
Andy Anders / The Herald Ty Brooks turns a double play for Wetumpka against Stanhope Thursday.
Johnson recorded six putouts in the contest, all on fly balls caught in center field. Brooks recorded four assists and was the middle man of a 4-6-3 double play that ended the top of the fourth inning.
“They definitely had to catch the baseball today, and we’ve seen it before,” Wetumpka head coach Michael Dismukes said. “We’ve played pretty much error free for the last month. It’s really no shock, because I’ve seen it every day from them.”
The key on the mound, Shineflew said, was pitching in a way that avoided solid contact from the Indians.
“With the lefties, we were trying to go curveball, get them to spin off,” Shineflew said. “Against righties we were throwing that change outside, trying to make them get out there and reach it. They just couldn’t hit it.
Stanhope pitcher Zach Stevens through a complete game in his own right, tossing six innings with seven strikeouts and two earned runs.
Andy Anders / The Herald Jaxon Shineflew pitched a complete game shutout to deliver an area title for Wetumpka baseball last season.
Stevens stranded multiple runners in scoring position with his strikeouts, but with Shineflew’s performance on the other side it only took a third-inning breakthrough from Wetumpka to secure a win.
A single, walk and hit batter loaded the bases for Terrell, who knocked two runs in with a base knock. A courtesy runner was caught stealing and another fan ended the inning for Stevens, but the two runs from Terrell’s hit were all that were needed in the end for Wetumpka.
“Happy for these guys,” Dismukes said. “They played hard all year. When you get a goal in mind, and they accomplish it, it’s really satisfying to see the smile on their face.”
The Indians resume regular season play at Prattville Tuesday before beginning their postseason journey.
