BAY MINETTE, Alabama – The Fairhope Pirates won the first two games of their area series with Baldwin County, then came on late in the top of the seventh to take the tie-break game as well. The Pirates swept the three-game series with a 10-0 win Thursday at Volanta Park and both games Friday 12-1 and 4-3 at Jerry Wright Field.

Although the third (tie-break) game has little significance after one team wins both games one and two, this one was worth more than consolation for a baseball fan.

Down 3-1 and out-hit 8-4 going into the top of the seventh the visitors finally strung some hits together as they had in the earlier games.

The Tiger pitching duo of Zach Demko and Kyle Buck had limited a potent Pirate lineup for six innings. But Fairhope’s Cole Wainwright led off the seventh with a single, Hunter Ellenburg’ followed with a  triple, Jerrod Hathcock doubled to tie it 3-3 and Dylan Thomas put FHS ahead with an RBI single.

In between, Beecher Faust hit a line drive missile at the right field wall, but Tiger right fielder Andre Cox made a great overhead snag worthy of the team banquet highlight reel.

BCHS battled back in thei half with hits by Buck and Nate Jones. A walk to William Andreoli loaded the bases prompting Fairhope head coach Stu Fuller to bring Ellenburg to the mound. With the winning run at second the senior Alabama Southern signee got Jimmie Johnstone out on a fielders choice for the save. Thomas picked up the win in relief.

FHS took a 1-0 lead early in the game, but Buck tripled in two for the lead and Johnstone added an RBI single. The Tigers out hit the Pirates 11-8 overall but had four errors to Fairhope’s two in the game. Ellenburg was 3-for-4 in the game and 4-for-8 for the night. Hathcock was 3-for-3 in the early Friday game and hit .833 (5-for-6) for the night.

The Pirates improved to 14-5 overall and 2-0 in the 6A Area 3 standings. Baldwin County slipped to 5-12, 1-3 with the loss.

In the matinee Friday, Faust took his fourth (4-0) win with a one-hitter. Only four other Tigers reached base on the South Alabama signee who struck out three, walked two and endured two errors. Faust and his teammates outhit the Tigers 12-1 to mirror the score.

Johnstone had the only Tiger hit, a slow roller down the third-base line in the fifth. He eventually scored but it would not be enough to keep the game going.

The Pirates put up five runs in the first inning, added two in the third (2-RBI single by Corey Childress) and five in the fourth (3-RBI triple by Gabe Wagner) for a 12-0 lead.

Earlier an Ellenburg double, a Hathcock single and a bases-loaded walk worked by Thomas scored an RBI each while two runs were unearned. Hathcock was 3-for-3 in the early game and hit .833 (5-for-6) for the night.

Childress got the shutout win on the mound for the Pirates in the series opener Thursday.

Area play continues for both teams next weekend. Fairhope travels to Foley Friday to start the series at 6 p.m. The Lions then play the doubleheader Saturday at Volanta at 1 p.m. The Tigers will host Daphne Friday at BCHS at 6:30 p.m. To start the series which concludes at Trojan Field Saturday with an 11 a.m. doubleheader.