The first-round playoff blues continue for the Madison County baseball program.
The Raiders (21-8) dropped a nip-and-tuck series to Sprayberry (22-6) in three games, marking another early playoff exit.
For Madison County, it was a tough ending to an otherwise standout year.
“You feel like you at least played as well or better than your opponent,” Raider coach Charlie Griffeth said of the series. “It just didn’t happen.”
Madison County split a twin bill with the no. 3 seed Yellow Jackets Friday – winning 6-4 and losing 4-3 — before dropping the decisive third game Saturday 8-6.
Madison County hasn’t advanced beyond the opening round in its past three state playoff trips. The Raiders last advanced to the second round in 2003.
The loss also ended the careers of seven Raider seniors who guided the program to back-to-back state playoff appearances and 20-win seasons.
“They guys have nothing to be ashamed of,” Griffeth said. “They can hold their heads high with what they accomplished the last two years.”
Things get tougher next year as the team loses three pitchers from a staff that compiled a 2.73 ERA and six bats out of the lineup that socked 40 homers this year and batted .321. Griffeth said the battle for positions next year is wideopen.
“We’ve got our work cut out,” Griffeth said. “That’s for sure when you lose that much production.”
Madison County had its chances to extend this season – and the careers of those seniors – another week.
The Raiders scored twice in the fifth inning Saturday to take a 5-4 advantage in the decisive third game.
But the lead and hopes of a Sweet 16 trip were short-lived.
Sprayberry trumped the Raiders with three scores in the bottom of the fifth and one more in the sixth to take an 8-5 lead.
Madison County scored once in the top of the seventh, but couldn’t complete a season-saving rally.
The Raiders lost the third game despite pounding out 16 hits. Madison County, however, committed two costly errors that led to two unearned Sprayberry runs.
Defensive miscues hurt the Raiders throughout the series, Griffeth said, along with missed offensive opportunities.
“We lost it kind of how we lost most games,” he said. “We kicked it around a little too much and we couldn’t get that big hit. We got a lot of them over the course of the year, but it kind of snowballed on us at the end.”
The coach noted that Sprayberry committed few errors in the three games and said the Yellow Jackets look like a team that might make a playoff run.
“They didn’t do anything to beat themselves,” Griffeth said.
Madison County, hosting the first playoff matchup at its new field, started the series with promise Friday.
The Raiders got back-to-back homers in the bottom of the first from Matt Kennison and Ian Drake en route to a 6-4 victory in game one, the program’s first postseason victory since 2003.
Jack May pitched six innings for the win, surrendering five hits and two runs while striking out three.
Then Madison County, playing as the visiting team in game two, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
But the Raider bats went silent for the next four innings as Madison County fell behind 4-2 and wound-up losing 4-3.
The teams traded leads in the third game in front of a sun-splashed crowd Saturday afternoon.
Madison County led 1-0 in the first inning before Sprayberry built a 4-2 lead after the third.
The Raiders rallied with a Dustin Roberts solo homer in the fourth and RBI singles from Kennison and Roberts in the fifth to take a brief one-run lead.
But Sprayberry started the bottom of the fifth with three-straight hits, sparking a three-run inning as the Yellow Jackets overtook Madison County for good.
The Raiders now look to summer ball as the process of rebuilding the pitching staff and retooling the lineup starts.
The schedule isn’t yet complete, but the summer exhibition season begins in late May or early June.
Griffeth said he’s looking forward to the challenge of starting over.
“That’s part of the fun of (coaching), seeing other kids get their chance,” he said.
BANQUET IS THIS SUNDAY
Madison County will hold its annual awards banquet this Sunday.
