Five hits not enough to keep MC in playoffs

It was a rough day in Atlanta for the Madison County Red Raiders, as the boys fell in the first round of the baseball state playoffs.

Last Friday, in the doubleheader with defending Class AAAA champions, Madison County recorded five hits and no runs, ending the season 17-11 overall.
“Marist was good,” said Red Raider head coach Charlie Griffeth. “They have a good chance to win it all.”

In the opening game, Madison County led off with a single from Jarrett Seawright. That single would prove to be the only hit Madison County would record in the first game as Marist took the 10-0 win.

The second game went a little better for the Red Raiders, who recorded four hits, but were still kept off the board by the War Eagles. Marist recorded the 4-0 win and improved to 25-3 to advance to the play the Creekview-Alexander winner.

“Our guys played with a lot of heart this year,” Griffeth said. “We just couldn't put together any consistency.”

Madison County struggled this season with injuries that put gaps in the bench. Griffeth said that the Red Raiders missed a lot of playing time from key players including, Brock Turner, Alex Jordan, Steven Tiller and Kyle Dean from various ailments.

The 2011 season may be over, but in a few weeks the the Red Raiders will look at summer baseball and the upcoming players as Madison County aims to fill the lineup after the loss of the seniors.

“It is gonna be tough replacing 11 seniors,” said Griffeth.