By Michael Butler

Tallassee head baseball coach John Goodman admitted that he has thought a lot about the BIbb County series that ended his team’s season last year.

“We’ve talked about it a lot in the coaches’ office,” Goodman said. “We just needed that one hit.”

Unfortunately, one year later, the script has been repeated. The Tigers fell to the Choctaws in three games in the Class 4A first-round playoff series in Centreville ending their season with a 17-13 record.

“I thought we played a pretty good series,” Goodman added. “It’s hard to walk away from a series like we had with Bibb. Bibb is a very good team and we gave them all they wanted.”

Just like in 2025, Tallassee got the win in game one but were unable to close the deal in the best-of-three series.

Tallassee won game one of Thursday’s doubleheader, 4-2. It came against last year’s game three winner from Bibb County, Brayden Cash, jumping on the starter for three runs in the first inning.

Hamp Love singled to score one and Jack Butler singled again to score two in the Tigers’ first at-bats of the game. Kaleb Gillespie had Tallassee’s only two other hits in the opener.

Butler picked up the win on the mound and Love got the save. Butler went five innings, striking out two and walking two allowing one run. Love closed it out, giving up one run in two innings of work with three strikeouts and a walk.

In game two, the Tigers were shut out by Ethan McMillan in a 2-0 setback. Love took the loss in 2 1/3 innings pitched. He gave up one run with three strikeouts and two walks. Hudson Timmerman, Jayden Griggs and Cason Hornsby pitched in relief. Hornsby pitched 3 1/3 innings of shutout ball striking out three and walking none.

Tallassee got just three hits in the nightcap. Brue Milner hit a ground-rule double, while Kole Burton and Butler added singles.

In the decisive game three, the Choctaws five-run third broke open a see-saw battle as Bibb County (20-11) claimed the series with a 9-5 win.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first, Tallassee rallied for two in the second with a double by Hudson Timmerman that scored Love and a single by Avery Brantley that scored Timmerman.

Brantley, the game three starter on the mound, got into trouble in the third after a walk to the leadoff hitter Kaige Watkins. Bibb County then added a double, single and sac bunt that tied it on a close call at the plate. Another single and a hit batter ended Brantley’s day early.

Brantley took the loss being charged with six runs in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked two. Jayden Griggs came on in relief followed by Brandon Goodman and Conner Campbell.

Tallassee got a spark in the top of the fifth after a Burton single and intentional walk to Milner. The Tallassee crowd erupted when the next batter, Love, hit a homerun over the right field fence to cut the lead to 7-5.

The threat was short-lived however, as Bibb added a couple of security runs in the bottom half of the inning and the Tigers were retired in order in the seventh.

Bibb County will face Orange Beach in the second round.

“I’m extremely proud of our seniors for the way they led this team from start to finish,” said Goodman. “They never gave up and they never gave in. As for the returning team, if they go to work and do as they are supposed to, we have a chance to do something very special in the future.

“Thank you to all the parents and the supporters of Tallassee baseball. It was an extremely fun year. Go Orange Beach and go Tigers!”