Montgomery, AL (WRBL) – The Auburn High Tigers were just one win away from claiming their 5th AHSAA Baseball State Championship. Matt Cimo’s squad took care of business on Wednesday taking down Hoover in the opening game of the series 9-2 at Paterson Field.
On Thursday, the series shifted to Riverwalk Stadium and the Hoover Buccaneers weren’t going down without a fight. In game two, the Bucs rocked the Tigers pitching early as William Steele hit a three-run home run over the left field wall. Hoover’s momentum never stopped after taking the early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. The Tigers would eventually get on the board as Auburn’s Ryan Austin hit a monster solo home run off the Montgomery Biscuts scoreboard. Hoover would eventually win game two with an 8-2 margin.
That forced a winner take all game three. The Tigers offense didn’t need a long time to warm up this time around. Auburn, the home team in game three, racked up three early runs thanks to some great situational hitting. Hoover would made a late push towards in the top of the 7th. The Buccaneers had closed the Auburn lead to just one run. With the bases loaded and two outs Head Coach Cimo called on Ryan Olson. Olson was able to get the final out with a strike out to give Auburn the series defining win.
The players said it took months and months to reach this moment.
"We worked our butts off from day one, summer workouts all the way. We put everything into every single game to make sure that we got here to what we wanted. There was only one way out and that's with the championship,” said senior pitcher Tanner Phillips.
Head Coach Cimo has been a part of other State Championship teams, and he says this feeling never gets old.
“This is one of the best feelings you can get when you watch these kids that work so hard and work their butts off. To see end it this way is just the greatest thing,” said Coach Cimo.
Congratulations to the 2021 AHSAA Class 7A Champions the Auburn High Tigers.
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