Norwood ends season just one game from Final Four

The Norwood Pirates’ baseball team’s season came to an end just one game from reaching the Final Four after their tough road loss to Dadeville in the Class 2 state quarterfinals.
Norwood traveled nearly two hours to take on a Bearcats’ team in front of their large home crowd.
The Pirates struck first in the top of the first inning as Pierce Lawson hit an RBI single that scored Carson Vaughan.
Dadeville responded in the bottom half of the inning as they took advantage of three walks and plated four runs. They added a seven spot one inning later to go up 11-1.
In the top of the fourth inning, Laken Coatney hit a solo home run for the Pirates’ second run.
Lawson gave his team a chance on the mound as he tossed the final four and two-thirds innings an gave up no earned runs and one hit with seven strikeouts and five walks.
Unfortunately, the Pirates’ offense was unable to complete a rally.
Coatney started the game and tossed one inning, giving up seven earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts and four walks. Vaughan tossed a third of an inning and gave up three earned runs on four hits with one strikeout and one walk.
Offensively, Lawson had two hits and one RBI; Coatney had one RBI and one run scored; while Vaughan scored one run.
In the state sectionals, the Pirates struck first as Payton McCune hit an RBI single that scored Caden Black.
Billings would tie the game up in the third inning before both teams were held scoreless until the seventh.
With two outs in their final at-bat, Lawson hit an RBI single that scored Vaughan for the eventual game-winning run.
Coatney earned the save by tossing a scoreless seventh and giving up no earned runs and no hits with one walk.
The hero of the game was Black, who started the game on the mound and simply dominated the Wildcats’ offense.
Black tossed six innings and gave up no earned runs on three hits with three strikeouts.
“He did a great job,” said Norwood head coach Drew Miller about Black, who also pitched his team to a district title a week earlier.
“We knew he was going to throw strikes. We knew he was going to get ground ball, fly ball outs…All in all, Caden threw strikes and my defense stepped up, started making plays there towards the end. Held them to one run through seven. I mean they’ve been scoring seven to eight runs per game the last four or five they’ve played. Great defensive effort…”
Black was complimentary of his teammates after the big win.
“I knew they were going to hit the ball coming in here, so I just knew I had to throw strikes and trust my guys,” Black said. “My teammates, I have so much trust in them. I know that any ground ball and any fly ball that it’s going to be caught and fielded. I came in having confidence, trusted in my guys and we came out with the win.”
Miller did note the early defensive miscues were partially due to playing on Billings’ field with a grass infield, though his team obviously adjusted during the game.
Norwood finished the spring with a 14-10 overall record after winning three out of four postseason games that included winning a district championship.