Brooks Cooner’s perfect game highlights Choctaws 3-0 week

      Written By: Daniel Payne

Cooner throws a perfect game against Falcons to lead Bibb to a 12-0 win

If you were not at Buddy Wade Field on the campus of Bibb County High School last Tuesday night, you missed the opportunity to see something that baseball fans don’t get a chance to see very often. Choctaws senior Brooks Cooner took the mound and threw a perfect game against the Falcons. How rare is this? In just over 150 years of Major League baseball, it has only happened 23 times. No pitcher has ever thrown more than one. So this is a night that not only will Brook’s never forget, but any of us will ever forget what we witnessed. 

After Cooner sat the Falcons down on a pop up to the infield and two strikeouts, Bibb would grab the lead in the bottom of the 1^st after Landon Dial singled and would later score on a passed ball to make it 1-0.

 The 2^nd inning saw Cooner again mow down two Falcon batters and get the other one on weak grounder back to the mound. The Choctaws added 4 more runs in their half of the inning. Cole Mccarty drove in Brodie Seales, who had walked and moved to third on a bunt by Eric Woodruff and a single by Drake Dial, with a sacrifice bunt. Woodruff would score shortly after on a wild pitch. Later in the inning, Cade Horton would single into center field and drive in two more runs to make it 5-0.

The 3^rd inning was more mastery from Cooner as the first two batters went down swinging and the third out came from a lazy fly ball to left field. The Choctaws failed to score in the 3^rd inning and Cooner took the mound in the 4^th and again sat down the first two Falcons via the strikeout and after the third batter grounded out to second there was a buzz in the stands and the dugout. Everyone was picking up on what they were witnessing, but due to the old baseball rule of thumb, was afraid to talk about it. 

Bibb added 7 runs in their half of the 4^th inning. After Landon Dial walked and Cooner singled, Horton hit a 3 run homer to deep left field to make it 8-0. After Drew Watts doubled, Seales drove him in with a single. Seales scored on a passed ball to make it 10-0. Later in the inning, Kaden Kornegay drove in the final 2 runs with a single to send us to the 5^th inning and a shoat history. 

 As the whispers became louder, Cooner tuned them out and went to the mound and handled business as if nothing was going on. He not only sat the Falcons down in order, he sat them down by striking out the side. As his team mates rushed the mound, one could not help but notice the gleams in the eyes of his parents as they watched their son enjoy a night that he will remember forever. 

Bibb – 16   Central – 0

One could say it’s hard to pitch in a game after your teammate pitched a perfect game, but just think if you had to do this as a freshman. And to add to it, it’s raining and with a win, your team qualifies for the playoffs. This is exactly the position Steven Cash found himself in. And if I tell you that he did not disappoint, it would be an understatement.

The Choctaws spotted Cash a 4-0 lead in the first when Cooner singled into right field to drive in Landon Dial. Kornegay scored on an error later on the same play to make it 2-0. Cooner would score later on a single by Watts. Horton would later score on a passed ball. 

 The Falcons came up to bat and Cash got the first two batters out and then gave up a single to center field before striking out the next batter to end the inning. As he came into the dugout I jokingly told him thanks for not making us sweat out another nervous game. He laughed and told me “thanks”. But what did he do? He just went out and finished the Falcons off with 1 hit shutout while striking out 7. On the night, the Falcons had two baserunners and neither of them made it past first base.

Bibb scored 4 more runs in the 2nd inning, 2 in the 4^th, and 6 more in the 5^th inning.  

Watts led the way for the Choctaws going 4-4 and driving in 3. Landon Dial, Drake Dial, Seales, Woodruff, and Horton each had two hits. Woodruff drove in 4 to led the way. On the night, the Choctaws had 18 hits. 

Bibb -8   Northridge – 2

Friday night was senior night for the Choctaws. Before the game, all of the Choctaw seniors and their families were recognized in a pregame ceremony. This is a great group of kids and have helped carry on the winning tradition we have here at Bibb County.

The opponent for this special night was 6a Northridge. The Jaguars came out swinging and scored 2 runs in the first inning on 2 hits and a sacrifice fly. But this would be the end of the scoring for the night for Northridge as Cade Horton found his groove on the mound.

The Choctaws tied the game up in the bottom of the 1^st after Kornegay walked and moved over to third on back to back balks by the Jaguars pitcher. Kornegay scored when Cooner grounded out to second. Horton followed with a single. Tyquan Bennet entered as a courtesy runner for Horton and scored on the next pitch when Watts drove a double into the gap in left center. 

Horton sat the Jags down in order in the second inning. Bibb added 3 runs in the bottom of the 2^nd inning. Seth Wallace reached on an error. Kornegay followed with a bunt single. He and Wallace would later move up on an error by the catcher. Wallace would score on a passed ball to make it 3-2. Horton walked and Watts was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. Seales then delivered a 2 run single to make it 5-2. 

Horton would take the mound and just put everything in cruise control from here. He sat the Jags down in order in the 3^rd and 4^th innings. He would then make it 6-2 in the bottom of the 4^th with a solo shot to left field. 

If there was a perfect way for one to enjoy his senior night, how about hitting your first homerun of the season? This is exactly what Drake Dial did in the bottom of the 5^th. After Seales led off with a double into center field, Dial hit a 1-0 pitch to left field for a two run homer. Everyone knew by the sound of the bat this ball was not staying in the park. As his mom and brother, Landon, screams began to echo across the field, the left fielder didn’t even bother to turn and look. He just stood there as the ball sailed well over his head and into the darkness to give Bibb an 8-2 lead. 

Horton made sure to send the seniors out with a victory on their special night as he again sat the Jaguars down in order in the 6^th and 7^th innings to seal the victory. Horton and Seales led the way with 2 hits a piece. Seales and Drake Dial each had 2 rbi’s on the night. Horton went the distance on the mound giving up 2 runs on just 6 hits. 

The Choctaws are now 17-9 on the season and 2-0 in area play. This week the Choctaws play at Demopolis on Tuesday and host Demopolis on Thursday. These games will decide who wins the area. Come out and help cheer our guys on as they play for another area championship.

Season Stats:

Batting Average: – Watts – .436, Horton – .392, Seales – .388

Homeruns: Horton – 6, Watts – 2, Cooner, Woodruff, Drake Dial -1

RBI’s: Horton – 36, Watts – 25, Cooner – 24

Wins: Cooner -5, Cash – 4, Horton – 3

ERA: Cooner – 0.55, Cash – 0.70, L. Dial – 2.96

Strikeouts: Cooner – 59, Cash – 39, Horton – 25