Today is Class 5A and 6A Alabama High School Athletic Association state baseball championship day in Montgomery.
AL.com will be providing live updates from both Game 2 of the Class 5A Russellville–Helena series at Paterson Field and Game 2 of the Class 6A series between Cullman and Pelham at Riverwalk Stadium to start off the day.
RELATED: Vote for the most stylish high school baseball cap in Alabama
Check back throughout the afternoon for live updates from all the action. We’ll also at least see Games 1 and 2 of the Class 7A state championship series between Thompson and Smiths Station.
RELATED: Friday’s live updates from the AHSAA state baseball championships
2:38 PM: Pelham’s Sam Finnerty smashes a solo homer to left to lead off the seventh.
Cullman 10, Pelham 3.
2:29 PM: Pelham’s Chase Martin triples in a run past a diving Maison Goodwin in center. He is stranded at third, though.
End of the sixth: Culllman 10, Pelham 2.
2:24 PM: That ends the top of the sixth inning. Cullman 10, Pelham 1.
2:20 PM: Cullman extends its lead to 10-1 with two outs in the top of the sixth inning. Lots of MVP candidates on the pond for the Bearcats at this point.
Orvis Cuello is 3-for-7 in the series with 5 RBI. Leadoff man Noah Fondren is 6-for-10 with six runs scored. Starting pitcher Owen Lovell also has four hits today and has allowed just one run on six hits.
2:14 PM: Cullman adds two more runs in the top of the sixth. Bearcats now lead Pelham 8-1 on the strength of their 11 hits. Still just one out. Runners on first and second.
2:03 PM: Familiar script for Pelham. Got a runner on with their sixth hit of Game 3. Yet they can’t dent the scoreboard.
Cullman up 6-1 heading into the top of the sixth inning.
1:52 PM: Inning over for Cullman. Bearcats lead Pelham 6-1. We’re heading to the bottom of the fourth.
1:50 PM: Long inning for Cullman. No runs yet, but Cole Collins blooped another hit into the perfect sliver of green grass in the outfield.
Pelham has gotten itself into trouble with three errors so far today.
Orvis Cuello just added another run with an RBI on a fielder’s choice.
Cullman 6, Pelham 1. Two outs. Top of the fourth inning.
1:38 PM: Pelham gets a run in the bottom of the third. Still a lot of work to do to inject a lot more drama into this one and put pressure on Cullman.
Hunter Stovall doubled. Boomer Murchison drove him in for the home team’s first run of the game.
Cullman 5, Pelham 1. End of the third. Owen Lovell is still throwing for Pelham.
1:25 PM: Cullman squashes the effort. Pelham fails to score in the bottom of the second.
Cullman 5, Pelham 0.
1:20 PM: Pelham threatening in the bottom of the second. Runners on first and second with one out.
1:11 PM: Pelham Game 3 starter Tyler Wilburn just hit Orvis Cuello to put runners on first and second with two out. Wilburn has left the game. Not certain at this point if he was ejected or because he just did not have it today.
Alex Weeks now has the game in his right hand for Pelham. He ended the inning and the three-run inning on a strikeout.
Cullman 5, Pelham 0. We’re going to the bottom of the second inning.
1:09 PM: Owen Lovell scores Collins with his RBI single to center.
Cullman 5, Pelham 0. Two outs in the top of the second inning.
1:08 PM: Collins scores two with his bloop single to left. It fell in no man’s land between the leftfielder, the third baseman and the shortstop and the foul line. That scores two and he advances all the way to third on the throw home.
The throw skipped past Pelham’s Hunter Stovall which allowed him to come all the way around the horn to third.
Cullman 4, Pelham 0. Two outs.
1:07 PM: Wilburn working in the top of the second with his customary eye black on. Cullman already has some action going warming up another arm for Lovell in the bullpen.
Bearcats have gotten a walk and a two-out hit. Runners at first and second. Cole Collins up.
12:55 PM: Pelham threatens with a two hits, but cannot avoid the goose egg on the line score for the bottom of the first inning. Panthers had runners at the corners with two out.
That makes 13 runners left on base for the series so far. Cullman has stranded 16 runners on base on its end.
Cullman 2, Pelham 0. End of the first.
12:49 PM: Cullman 2, Pelham 0. Heading to the bottom of the first inning.
12:45 PM: Orvis Cuello strokes a double to left that scores another Bearcat. Cullman 2, Pelham 0. Top of the first inning. two outs.
12:43 PM: Cullman strikes first for a 1-0 lead.
12:37 PM: We are underway. Jacksonville State signee Tyler Wilburn is on the hill for Pelham. He’s 8-0 in 2015. Owen Lovell is starting Game 3 for Cullman. He is 4-0 on the year.
12:10 PM: Game 3 will begin at approximately 12:35 PM. Pelham will remain the home team.
12:04 PM: Pelham 3, Cullman 2. Unique ending to this one in Game 2.
Brashier strikes out but on a wild pitch. He reaches as the pitch careens away with a mind of its own. That’s a walk-off wild pitch strikeout win for Pelham.
12:01 PM: Anderson with a deep fly to left. His sacrifice fly plates Alday. We are tied at 2.
Cullman promptly walks Stovall. That brings up Logan Brashier.
11:58 AM: Cullman opts for a pitching change. Carter Bowen now takes the hill.
11:56 AM: Tyler White does get the bunt down. Heatherly wheels and tries to cut down the lead runner at second. That throw sails wild into the outfield.
Runners on first and second. No out. Sam Finnerty strolls to the plate.
He sacrifices both runners to second and third. One out.
Justin Anderson is coming to the plate. He is 0-for-3 so far to this point and hasn’t gotten a hit in the series. He has walked twice in the 6A state finals. Huge spot here.
11:53 AM: Pelham’s Casey Alday leads off the bottom of the seventh with a single past a diving Cullman first baseman. Tyler White is up. He’s looking to sacrifice.
11:51 AM: Pelham Game 2 starter Connor Radcliff keeps the Bearcats right where they are. Its now-or-never time for his Panthers as we head to the bottom of the seventh.
Cullman 2, Pelham 1. Middle of the seventh.
The bottom of the order is coming up for Pelham.
11:46 AM: There will be no first-year state baseball title for Helena. Russellville takes the Class 5A series with a sweep after a 4-1 victory in Game 2 at Paterson Field.
11:45 AM: In Class 5A, Helena’s Brooks Brophy drives in a run with an RBI single at Paterson Field. The Huskies still trail Russellville 4-1 with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
11:44 AM: That sixth inning flew by. Pelham still trails Cullman 2-1.
11:40 AM: In Class 6A, Cullman fails to score. We’re heading to the bottom of the sixth for Pelham. Bearcats lead 2-1 and hold a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 series.
11:37 AM: In Class 6A, Pelham again fails to convert after threatening again. Cullman leads 2-1 as we head to the top of the sixth inning.
11:33 AM: In Class 5A, Russellville cannot extend its lead after the top of the seventh. We go to the bottom of the inning. Helena is down to its last three outs.
11:30 AM: In Class 5A, Helena left a runner on base in the bottom of the sixth. Russellville leads 4-0 and is already up 1-0 in the series.
11:22 AM: In Class 6A, Pelham’s hopes just got dashed a bit. The Panthers left runners and first and second after another inning-ending strikeout by Heatherly. No score.
Cullman is still up 2-1 heading into the top of the fifth inning.
Class 6A Game 2: We are in the bottom of the fourth. @CullmanBaseball leads @PelhamAthletics 2-1. pic.twitter.com/hBZG9CUqYS
— Jeff Sentell (@JeffSentell_) May 16, 2015
11:20 AM: In Class 5A, Russellville plates another run in the top of the sixth inning. Reeder Smith drives in a run on an RBI single. The Golden Tigers are up 4-0 on Helena. Russellville leads the series 1-0.
11:12 AM: Pelham sits down Cullman. Panthers trail 2-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. Cullman sophomore lefty Jacob Heatherly has given up just two hits. The Bearcats have four hits off Pelham starter Connor Radcliff.
Radcliff has signed with Samford. He’s 10-1 this year. Heatherly is 4-1.
11:06 AM: In Class 5A, Helena still hasn’t gotten on the board. Russellville leads the Huskies 3-0 after four innings.
11:04 AM: We’re heading to the top of the fourth inning. Cullman is up 2-1.
The Panthers saw their turn end in the third after the Stovall solo shot by getting thrown out at second on what looked like at firs glance to be a missed hit-and-run.
11:01 AM: Pelham cuts that lead in half. Senior catcher Hunter Stovall crushes his 10th homer of the season off a solo shot to left. Cullman 2, Pelham 1.
10:54 AM: Cullman up 2-0 as we head to the bottom of the third inning.
10:50 AM: Cullman’s Orvis Cuello drives in a run off his sacrifice fly to right. Bearcats lead 2-0 with two outs in the top of the third inning.
10:45 AM: In Class 6A, Cullman is threatening again. They have loaded the bases. Pelham gets a force at home for the first out.
10:41 AM: At Paterson Field, Helena can’t muster any offense. Russellville is up 3-0 going into the top of the third inning.
10:37 AM: Cullman Game 2 starter Jacob Heatherly strands his second consecutive Panther at third with an inning-ending strikeout.
Bearcats up 1-0 as we head to the top of the third inning. Heatherly has yet to give up a hit during his outing.
10:34 AM: Pelham has another runner in scoring position. The Panthers have a man on second with one out in the bottom of the second.
10:25 AM: Russellville is up 3-0 on Helena going into the bottom of the second inning. That lead was built on three straight hits.
10:20 AM: Russellville’s Austin Bohannon drove in the game’s first run on an RBI double. Bohannon came in shortly after on another RBI single. The Golden Tigers are up 2-0.
10:14 AM: The first inning is over at Paterson Field in Class 5A between Helena and Russellville. No score. Neither team has managed a hit.
10:20 AM: Pelham cannot match that run. Cullman leads 1-0 after the first inning. The Panthers threatened with by getting leadoff man Sam Finnerty to third after he reached and then stole two bases.
10:07 AM: Cullman strikes first. Bearcats take a 1-0 lead.
Sophomore slugging first baseman Owen Lovell drove in Noah Fondren on a grounder to short. He led off with a a single and then was sacrificed over to second. Cole Collins singled him over to third.
10:00 AM: First pitch. We’re underway.
9:55 AM: Its National Anthem time at Riverwalk Stadium. Cullman is in its gold togs. Pelham is wearing its green look. That’s the same green scheme the Panthers earned their 2013 Class 6A state title win with here at Riverwalk.
Here’s today’s schedule, weather permitting:
Class 5A, Game 2: Helena vs. Russellville, 10 a.m., Paterson Field (Game 3 follows, if necessary, at approximately 1 p.m.)
Here’s today’s schedule, weather permitting:
Class 5A, Game 2: Helena vs. Russellville, 10 a.m., Paterson Field (Game 3 follows, if necessary, at approximately 1 p.m.)
Class 6A, Game 2: Cullman vs. Pelham, 10 a.m., Riverwalk Stadium (Game 3 follows, if necessary, at approximately 1 p.m.)
Class 7A, Game 1: Smiths Station vs. Thompson, 4 p.m., Riverwalk Stadium (Game 2 to follow)
If the 7A series needs a third game, it is set for Monday night at 7 p.m., at Riverwalk Stadium.
Four state champions have already been crowned — Shoals Christian in 1A, Mobile Christian in 2A, Madison Academy in 3A and Trinity in 4A.
Jeff Sentell covers prep sports for AL.com and the Birmingham News. Follow him on Twitter for the latest high school cool across Alabama.
