stretch with 3-0 Area 4 lead

By STEVEN G. WATSON

Sports Editor

The first leg – and probably the hardest – of the Charles Henderson baseball team’s Area run is over.

The Trojans (21-8 overall, 3-0 in Area play) swept their three Class 5A Area 4 opponents in the first three games of the Area schedule. That was huge seeing that each of those games came on the road.

Now all the Trojans have to do is protect their own backyard as all three teams – Russell County, Eufaula and Carroll – must come to Troy and do battle in "Hogan’s Hole" at Frazier Field.

CHHS has been on a role as of late. They have won five straight and have only lost on their home field once this year (to then No. 7 ranked Stanhope).

In three of the last four games, the Trojans have put on an Area 4 road show blowing out Russell County 12-2 in only five innings, but playing Eufaula and Carroll down to the wire for a 7-6 win over EHS and a dramatic ninth inning 10-9 win over the Eagles in Ozark.

The Trojans should be playing on a high after the win in Carroll which seemed to exorcise some demons the team might have haunting them from last year’s battles with the Eagles.

To end the 1999 season, the two team’s were both 5-1 in the

Area after splitting their two head-to-head matchups and had to play a tiebreaker for the Area Championship at Troy State. The Eagles won that game by one point and were crowned Area Champs sending CHHS on the road to a first round loss in the playoffs.

Game time with Russell County is set for 5 p.m.