BIRMINGHAM -- During a chilly Thursday evening, the sounds of a raucous dugout echoed across Jay D. Kynerd Field.
Challenged by head coach Jamie Harris to “play with passion,” the Vestavia Hills High School baseball team chanted and cheered its way to an 11-3 road win over Briarwood on Thursday. The Rebels lineup hit five doubles, Cooper Anderson tossed 4 1/3 scoreless relief innings and the Rebels handed the Lions their first loss of the season.
Vestavia dropped a 4-3 contest to Class 7A rival Spain Park on Monday, a game which “sounded like a funeral,” according to Harris. The coach put an emphasis on energy during the Rebels’ midweek preparation, and he was impressed by his team’s demeanor against Briarwood.
“Although our kids were goofy in the dugout a little bit, they never talked about the other team. They cheered our guys on and they brought the energy,” Harris said. “That’s what we wanted. It’s a game. It’s supposed to be fun. We wanted energy, we wanted passion, and they brought it.”
The visiting Rebels displayed energy from the game’s start. Center fielder William Tonsmiere doubled down the left field line before some fans were even seated; the junior was quickly driven in by teammate James Lucas, giving Vestavia a 1-0 lead.
An unfazed Briarwood squad responded in the home frame. The Lions drew two walks and advanced on a wild pitch, setting up a Seth Staggs sacrifice fly that evened the score at 1-1. The teams traded runs over the next two innings, as Vestavia first baseman Miles Plugge came home on a wild pickoff attempt, and Briarwood’s Jake Souders hit a solo home run that tied the game once again.
The top of the fourth began with two Rebels, Mason Perrigo and Gavin Smith, reaching base. With Plugge at the plate, Perrigo and courtesy runner John Michael Sullivan successfully executed a double steal to get into scoring position.
“One thing we really do well, we can run. We got a lot of guys that can run, a lot of guys that steal bases,” Harris said. “We’re not going to be able to sit back and wait on three doubles or a three-run home run. We have to be able to steal bases and be aggressive. We were going to push that whether we got thrown out or not, and it worked out for us.”
Perrigo and Sullivan scored on a Briarwood error, breaking the tie for good. By the inning’s end, Vestavia had stolen six bases and scored four runs, giving the Rebels a 6-2 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, Briarwood put runners on second and third, provoking a Vestavia pitching change. With one out, the Rebels turned to Anderson, who had appeared in just one varsity game entering the night. Anderson immediately struck out Briarwood's top two batters, escaping the jam to the delight of his dugout.
“Cooper’s two Ks [strikeouts] were really big in a really big situation. Kind of the turning point of the game. Really happy for him because he’s a sophomore playing up — I think that’s the second time he’s thrown. He’s only going to get better and he’s only going to get more command of the strike zone. I’m super happy for him,” Harris said.
The Vestavia lead grew in the late innings. Doubles from Smith and Caden Taylor drove in three runs, a Perrigo single drove in another, and a Dean Walker RBI groundout drove in one more. Briarwood’s Souders crossed the plate on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh to complete the scoring.
Vestavia, now 3-4, travels to West Palm Beach early next week for a tournament. When asked about his goals for the team in Florida, Harris emphasized growth, development and continuing to play with passion.
“Win, lose, or draw, we’re not going to worry about the scoreboard,” said Harris. “We’re going to play hard, have fun, and try to get a little bit better every day. I know that’s coach-speak, but we’re a young team, we’re inexperienced, and we make a lot of mistakes. If we can get a little bit better every day, that sets us up for the end of the year when the games really matter in the area.”
