Charles Henderson head coach Derek Irons couldn’t help but smile after witnessing his team sweep 5A power Rehobeth Tuesday afternoon at Frazier Field. In the first game of the double header, Charles Henderson came from behind to win 5-4. The second game was all Charles Henderson as the Trojans won 13-1.

The Trojans have used strong pitching and stellar defense early in the season on their way to a No. 1 ranking in the Alabama Sports Writer’s Association poll, but used timely and powerful hitting on Tuesday to sweep the Rebels.

Charles Henderson battled from behind in the first game, and got runs in the third, fifth and seventh innings to pick up its eighth consecutive victory.

Irons said that he liked what he saw in the gritty performance in game one.

“There are going to be days when things are going the way we would like them,” said Irons. “The first game was like the game against Dothan a few weeks ago. You have to take what you can get, when you can get it. We were able to get a big stop in the fifth on defense, and able to pull it out in the seventh.

Joey Denison went a combined 4-5 in the two games, with six total RBIs, sophomore catcher Chase Smartt finished the day with four RBIs, including the walk-off double in the first game.

“We hit the ball really well in the second game,” said Irons. “We had a couple of big hits, but it was mostly smaller gappers, and when you put enough of them together, you get the big number on the board.”

Charles Henderson (14-1) has had quite a bit of early season success, but Irons and staff work everyday to keep the players from getting over confident.

“It sounds cliché, but out goal really is to take it one day at a time,” said Irons. “If we can come out everyday and get 1 percent better, and work on things we struggled with the day before, things will take care of themselves.

Charles Henderson travels to Union Springs on Friday to open region play against Bullock County. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.

Charles Henderson 5, Rehobeth 4

The Rebels struck first by scoring two runs in each of the second and third innings, but Charles Henderson responded with three runs in their half of the third.

Blake Craft, Tripp Blackmon, Denison and Smartt all had singles in the inning to bring the Trojans within one run. Charles Henderson tied the game in the fifth on an RBI sacrifice fly by Luke Hastings, and won the game on Smartt’s double to left center in the bottom half of the seventh.

Xavius Burden picked up the win for Charles Henderson after coming in relief of starter Houston Mabray.

Charles Henderson 13, Rehobeth 1

The Trojans used the bats early and often in the second game of the double header. The Trojans sent six batters to the plate in the first inning, 10 in the second and nine in the third to break the game open and never look back.

Charles Henderson pounded out ten hits in game two, including two monstrous hits by Denison. The first off the bat of the senior first basemen resulted in a RBI double that struck the fence. The second shot was sent over the left field wall in to the protected wetlands outside the stadium.

The Trojans never trailed and Rehobeth never contended in the game, and Tripp Blackmon went the distance on the hill. Blackmon scattered six hits, and gave up just one run, and struck out three batters.