Holtville baseball advances to 5A Final Four

For the third-straight weekend, the Holtville Bulldogs have won a Game 3.

Holtville run-ruled Headland, 12-2, in six innings on Saturday afternoon to clinch the AHSAA Class 6A quarterfinals matchup. The Bulldogs (24-14) won the series, 2-1, after dropping Game 1 and winning Game 2 on Friday.

Holtville has gone to the deciding Game 3 in all three playoff series this postseason and has won each one. The Bulldogs are now in the AHSAA Class 5A Final Four for the second-consecutive season.

“We knew we had this kind of fire in us all year,” head coach Scott Tubbs said. “These guys could have easily laid down after Game 1 or could have laid down three weeks ago against Mobile Christian. But I don’t care how we keep advancing, we just have to keep doing it. I’m proud of the way our guys fight.”

Junior Drey Barrett took the mound for Holtville in Game 3, and he gave up two runs in the top of the first inning on three infield singles and two groundouts.

The Bulldogs got one back in the bottom frame to cut the lead to 2-1, then jumped ahead with a massive second inning and never looked back.

Left fielder Weston Tubbs started the second inning with a double off the right field wall, then came around to score after Drew Connor, Randy Bridges and Tanner Potts all hit singles. Following Potts’ single, Holtville led 3-2 but didn’t let up.

Barrett had an RBI fielder’s choice before Braxton Potts and Randy Davis singled and Lane Talley hit an RBI single. Tubbs then stepped back into the box for his second at-bat of the inning and lifted another double into right field, this time scoring two runs to put Holtville up, 8-2.

“In that seven-run second inning, he started it off with a double off the wall then capped the inning with another double,” Scott Tubbs said. “He was locked in and I’m super proud of him. He’s battled all year. Today, he was seeing it. I’m super proud of him from a coach’s standpoint but even more proud as his dad.”

Holtville added three more runs in the third inning on RBIs from Davis and Braxton Potts, and Barrett held the Rams scoreless the rest of the way.

After nearly walking it off in the fifth inning, the Bulldogs found a way to end it in the sixth. After Drew Connor reached via error, Tanner Potts drove a ball into the outfield and the Holtville base runner scored all the way from first to end the game.

“That was awesome,” Potts said of his walk-off. “Their players were talking all series and it just felt great for me to be the one to end it and send them home.”