By Dan Smith

Rehobeth, AL – Charles Henderson High faced two crucial Class 5A, Area 3 games on the road at Rehobeth Friday night, dropping the first game to the Rebels 13-7, and falling 5-4 in the second game.

With the two losses CHHS finishes as the runner-up in Class 5A, Area 3, while Rehobeth is the Area champion. Rehobeth will host the first round of the state playoffs next weekend while CHHS will be on the road at Tallassee.

In the first game CHHS took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, but it did not take long for Rehobeth to answer.

Bryson Gandy led off the fourth with a single for CHHS, advanced to third on a Rehobeth infield error, and scored on a single by Jackson Murphy to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead.

The Rebels responded with three in the bottom half of the fourth to go up 3-1 on three hits.

CHHS rallied for three more in the top of the fifth inning to go ahead 4-3, as Eric Lee was hit by a pitch with one out, Carson Tucker singled, Jabronski Williams reached on a fielder’s choice, Gandy singled again to score Lee and Williams, and Nick Lewis doubled to drive in Gandy for the 4-3 advantage.

Rehobeth blew the game open with five runs in the bottom of the fifth and five in the sixth inning to go ahead 13-4.

The Trojans cut into the lead with three runs in the top of the seventh inning as Tucker doubled, Williams walked, Gandy singled, Tucker scored on a wild pitch, Lewis hit a sacrifice fly to score Williams, and Gandy scored on a single by Chase Hartley, for the 13-7 score which was the final.

CHHS had base hits from Gandy with three, Tucker had two, while Lewis, Hartley and Murphy had one each.

In the second game CHHS took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning as Devan Suddith walked, Graham Wilkes and Tucker were hit by pitches, Williams reached on a fielder’s choice, and Gandy walked to score Wilkes.

Rehobeth took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning but CHHS rallied for three in the top of the fifth to go up 4-2.

Gandy and Lewis hit back-to-back singles to open the inning, and Gandy scored on an error. Murphy doubled to drive in Lewis, and Suddith doubled to score Murphy. The Trojans had runners on second and third with one out, a 4-2 lead and the momentum, when a brief rain shower came, forcing a delay of over an hour before play resumed. Rehobeth pitching forced a groundout and strikeout to end the CHHS threat in the top of the fifth inning.

Rehobeth loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fifth, but pitcher Charlie Tisdale struck out the next batter and forced a ground out to end the threat.

The Rebels took the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning with three runs to go up 5-4, and CHHS was unable to score in the top of the seventh for the final.

In the second game Gandy and Lewis had two hits each while Hartley, Murphy, Suddith and Grant Hughes had one hit each.

CHHS is at Tallassee in the first round of the state playoffs, with the day and time to be announced later.