Sports Editor

Sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce your way in high school baseball and the Trojans of Charles Henderson found that out the hard way Saturday.

In what was essentially a very well played game, besides a few bobbles at key moments, the No. 5 ranked Trojans fell to No. 7 Stanhope Elmore 6-0 in a duel of two of the area’s most talented teams.

The win gives the Mustangs (13-4) a sweep of the Trojans (15-7) in their two-game series while the loss marks the third loss in four games for Charles Henderson since picking up their Top 10 ranking.

Both teams built brick walls behind their starting pitchers through the first three innings with each having little trouble retiring the side. CHHS sent sent the 10 of the first nine batters back to the bench behind Kevin Stephens giving up only two singles.

Stanhope was just as effective in their halves of the first three innings not allowing CHHS to take advantage of a lead-off single by Will Jones in the first and a two-out double by Stephens in the second.

The Mustangs’ big break came in the top of the fourth as Trojan shortstop David Taylor lost a high pop up in the blinding sun to keep a two-out rally by Stanhope alive. SEHS made the Trojans pay immediately with the next two batters belting singles to left scoring one. Then, they notched another run after a low throw to first and a collision at the bag left CHHS short of the third out again.

After the two-run fourth the Trojans couldn’t get anything started on offense. Stanhope starter J.P. Holly held CHHS to only two hits the rest of the way and got some outstanding help from his infield to ice the shutout.

The Mustangs got two more runs in the fifth on a double, a CHHS error and a sacrifice. Then, put two more on the board for good measure in the seventh on a two-out single by Jeremy Powers.

Stephens took the loss for the Trojans after giving way to Chris Boswell in relief in the fifth. Jones led the Trojans at the plate with a 2-for-3 day while the Stephens’ double and a Jason Barron single accounted for the only other two CHHS hits.

The Trojans started the weekend Friday with a split in a doubleheader with Northview.

Charles Henderson were in jeopardy of dropping their third in a row after a 6-2 loss to the Cougars in the first game, but Jason Barron came up huge for CHHS with a 2-run blast in the Trojans’ final at-bat to win the game 8-7.

Next the Trojans will compete in the Montgomery Tournament Wednesday through Friday against teams like Carver, Jeff Davis, Geneva County and Demopolis. They will face Carver at 5 p.m. and Jeff Davis at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.