Holtville ends 40-year drought, wins Class 5A AHSAA baseball state championship

JACKSONVILLE - Holtville ended a 40-year drought Friday, winning the AHSAA Class 5A baseball state championship with a two-game sweep of Sardis.

The Bulldogs (27-14) hadn't won a state title since going back-to-back in 1982 and '83 while they were in the 2A classification. Last season, they were 5A state runners-up.

Holtville won Thursday's game 3-2 after a two-hour weather delay and claimed the state championship with a series-clinching 3-1 victory Friday.

In Game 1, Holtville trailed Sardis (30-8) 2-0 at the top of the seventh inning before rallying with three runs to take a 3-2 lead. Holtville pitcher Tanner Potts closed out the game by shutting down the Lions and finishing the game with four strikeouts.

"The defense we have behind us continued to make plays when the ball came up in the air," Potts said. "They made Drey and (my) jobs easier this series and they deserve all the credit in the world."

Coach Scott Tubbs mentioned how all postseason his guys had their backs against the wall and when they fell early in Game 1, it was just another test of the team's perseverance.

"There was no panic in our guys and I told them before that seventh inning that we have been here a thousand times, let's just play our game," Tubbs said. "Our bottom half of our lineup stepped up huge for us this postseason. I'm overall proud of all these guys."

Sam Silas was the hero for the Bulldogs in Game 1 as he had the game-winning hit in the final inning for Holtville, sending in Hudson Parson for the winning run. In Game 2, he cracked a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to give Holtville an early 3-1 lead over Sardis.

Silas was named 5A tournament MVP after crushing the only home run hit this entire week of championship play. He's committed to play college baseball next season at Jacksonville State so for him, winning the title on his future field was special.

"We had a bad taste at this field last year coming short and being state runner-ups," Silas said. " I've played with these guys my entire life and to win this title on my future field is special for my family and I."

"What was special about this team this entire playoff run is that every game we had someone new step up huge for us," Tubbs said. "Drey and Tanner were huge on the mound for us in both games but so see Sam go out there and hit that bomb just put us over the top."

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Holtville wins Class 5A AHSAA baseball state championship