Tigers crowned state champs

FAYETTEVILLE -- The Armorel Tigers are champs of the 1A.

Armorel left no doubt who is the top team in the state after a more than convincing, 10-0, win over state rival, the Taylor Tigers, in six innings Friday afternoon at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.

Already ahead, 9-0, Nash Winters' RBI single with two out in the bottom of the sixth -- scoring Payton Lannon from second base -- ended the championship game an inning early.

In a career full of nail-biters, some ending well and others not so well, seasoned Tiger head coach Charlie Brown saw his team win him his third state title with relative ease.

No seventh inning heroics needed. No run-saving diving catches.

And no pitching changes to question.

Just a solid win from one of Brown's most solid teams in a career full of them.

"Some of the happiest days of my life have come in Fayetteville and also some of the saddest," said Brown. "Today is not going to be one of those sad ones, I can tell you that."

Armorel starting pitcher and 1A state Most Valuable Player, Ashton Kennedy, capped off a dominant postseason with another gem on the mound.

Kennedy allowed just two hits on the day and walked no one. He got stronger as the game went on with his four strikeouts coming in the fourth fifth and sixth innings. In six postseason appearances, including four starts, the senior right hander allowed just two earned runs on 11 hits in 28 and a third innings pitched. After two previous losses at Baum, Kennedy finished his career with a one-hitter in the semifinals against County Line on Monday and followed that up with Friday's performance.

"I've waited four long years for this," said Kennedy. "Right now I've just got so much emotion. I can hardly put it in words.It took a while but I finally was able to hit my spots. My teammates did the job for me again in the field and with the bat."

Friday, while 10 runs on 13 hits is impressive, it was the defense that was the difference. As flawless as Kennedy seemed on the mound, the Armorel gloves were just as strong, committing no errors and fielding everything that came their way. Tiger catcher, Andrew Lannon, threw another runner out at second. Senior shortstop, Zack Gray, picked up four assists and a putout in another stellar performance at shortstop.

"Zack (Gray) has just been a vacuum cleaner over there," said Brown. "He's just scooping up everything out there."

The Tigers never let a Taylor runner -- and there were only two of them on the day -- get past second base. Conversely, Armorel was able to take advantage of six Taylor errors that lead to four unearned runs.

"We just came out swinging today and just never stopped," said Brown.

It started with a run in the bottom of the first. Andrew Lannon's two-out single scored his brother Payton Lannon to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead after one. The Tigers scored three runs on three hits and two errors in the second inning, highlighted by an RBI double off the bat of Seth Wyatt.

Armorel put another three spot on the board in the third with just one hit. That one hit, a single from Winters, led to all three runs as Taylor committed two throwing errors on the play that ended with Winters scoring at home to give Armorel a 7-0 lead.

After a scoreless fourth, Armorel scored a run in the fifth. Back-to-back singles from Winters and Logan Blankenship set up Wyatt's sacrifice fly to center scoring Winters to put Armorel up, 8-0 after five.

Kennedy got the Tigers rolling in the sixth with a one-out double. Payton Lannon singled him home and two batters later Winters ended the game with his single to right. The single capped a 4-for-4 day for Winters. He also collected two RBIs and three runs scored.

"Nash (Winters) came up big again," said Brown. "You can go up and down the lineup with names. It was a total team effort."

Payton Lannon finished the game with a 3-for-4 day with two runs scored and an RBI. His range in center field, and four putouts, probably kept the shutout in tact for the Tigers.

"Payton (Lannon) was just killing the ball the past few games," said Brown. "And in the field, he got to everything they hit his way."

With a matchup of number one seeds, and two teams familiar with one another, not many people foresaw the 10-run rule being applied Friday.

"I felt good," said Brown. "I don't know about 10-0 good. Anytime you can beat Taylor in a championship game it is a well earned victory. I don't care if it's 5-0 or 10-0, it's just a great day."

For Brown, Friday was his third state title in six tries and his first with assistant coach, Mike Dobbins, in the dugout with him.

"I could not have done this without him," said Brown of his fourth-year assistant. "I never thought I'd find someone who loved baseball as much as me. He does a great job with the kids. The kids love him. He's done a heck of a job with the pitchers this year. I'm happy for him. If there's a better assistant in the state, you'll have to show him to me."

For the game, the Tiger offense was led by Winters, Payton Lannon, Kennedy (2-4 with a run scored), Andrew Lannon (1-2, 1 run scored and an RBI), Nieko Sorrentino (1-3 with a run scored), Blankenship (1-2) and Wyatt (1-2, 2 RBIs and a run scored).

The win caps another successful season for the Tigers who finish the year with a 23-9 record and their first state title since 2011. The Tigers won conference, district and regional titles as well as the state title. They were completely dominant in the postseason, going a perfect, 9-0. They outscored their opponents an eye-popping, 80-5, including 20-0 over the final two games of the season.

afitzpatrick@blythevillecourier.com