The Charles Henderson Trojans jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back to claim the Terry Sikes Memorial Tournament crown Saturday night at Riddle-Pace Field on the Troy University campus. The Trojans took out Paul W. Bryant 9-2 for their second win over the Stampede in the tournament.

“The way we finished game one today, I thought it was really important we start well,” CHHS head coach Derek Irons said. “We didn’t finish well in game one today, but we did start well in the championship. We put up a zero in the top of the first and we put up five in the bottom half of the inning. So that was a great start. We also talked a lot about taking pride in hosting a tournament. With the caliber of teams coming in we knew it would be a challenge, but we wanted to win the thing. Really ”

David Fleming started on the mound for CHHS (5-1) and he threw five strong innings for the Trojans.

“David has given us two really good outings for this early in the year,” Irons said. “Once at Northview and then tonight. Early in the year if we can get five innings out of a guy that is a quality start and he did that for us. He put us in position to win.”

Fleming allowed two runs on two hits through five plus innings. He struck out five and walked three.

He shut down the Stampede in the first and the Trojans piled on five runs to jump out to a 5-0 lead.

Parker Sanders led off with a walk and scored on an RBI single by Dario Rouse. Rouse got to third on an error and scored on a Daniel Hartley single.

Courtesy runner Quay Lawson scored on a single by Nathan Barron three batters later. Jake Smith doubled in Barron and Jared Rogers, who had reached on a single, to cap the scoring in the inning.

The Trojans added one run in the second inning when Hartley again singled in Rouse for a 6-0 Charles Henderson lead.

Fleming had a no-hitter going until Bryant scratched together a hit and a run in the fourth inning to cut the lead to 6-1. Smith again laced a double, this time high off the right field wall, to score Rogers and give CHHS a 7-1 lead in the fifth inning.

A solo home run cut the deficit to 7-2, but the Trojans tacked on two more insurance runs in the sixth and Rogers closed the door on Bryant for the championship victory.

Pinch hitter Mitch McLeod tripled in Rogers and Harrison Reeves to put CHHS up 9-2.

Rogers had two strikeouts in two innings of work and allowed no runs on no hits.

At the plate, Smith was 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs. Hartley was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

“Most of our wins early on have been good team wins and there hasn’t been one guy that has stood out to me,” Irons said.

The Trojans took out Bryant 6-5 in the 9:30 a.m. game Saturday. Mitch McLeod got the win on the mound and K.D. Edenfield, Rouse and Hartley each had two hits.

Up next for the Trojans is a road doubleheader against Andalusia Tuesday. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.

Click here for a photo gallery of Saturday’s action