Pell City finished the season with the most wins in school history.
He tried and tried and tried and tried again to no avail.
But the Oxford senior dug deep and came up with a walk off solo home run in the bottom of the thirteenth inning to lift the Yellow Jackets to a 3-2 win against in Game 1 of their series against Pell City in the second round of the AHSAA Class 6A state playoffs at Bud McCarty Field.
His shot to right field catapulted the Yellow Jackets to a sweep against their area foe to advance to the state quarterfinals. The Yellow Jackets dispatched of the Panthers 5-2 in Game 2, taking care of business in a timely, workmanlike fashion.
Prior to his game-winning shot, Goodson, a University of Alabama commit who was named the Alabama Sports Writer’s Association Hitter of the Year as a junior, was 0-5.
Pell City ace Cole Billingsley struck Goodson out each of the four times he faced him in nine innings, the maximum any pitcher is allowed to pitch by rule. Ryan Salter, the Panthers No. 2 pitcher, came on in the tenth. He rang Goodson up for a strikeout for the second out of the inning in the bottom of the 11th.
But even with his myriad failures, Oxford coach Wes Brooks said there wasn’t a guy on his roster he’d rather have at the plate in that situation.
“Since the middle of last year, Mathew’s been our team leader Brooks said. “If there’s anybody I want to have up in a big time, big game situation, it’s Mathew.”
And, believe it or not, Goodson was just as confident as he was during his first at-bat given in his sixth trip to the plate during the game.
“You just gotta keep grinding man. You gotta persevere,” Goodson said. “It’s a game of failure. You gotta believe in yourself. If you were in my shoes, you’re 0-for-5 with five Ks. It’s the thirteenth inning. Let’s get it done.”
Tucker Simpson and Will Davis had two hits apiece and Jackson Stephens added a sacrifice fly in Game 1.
The Yellow Jackets (33-11) will host Buckhorn in the quarterfinals on Friday.
While Goodson’s offense propelled the fourth-ranked Yellow Jackets to the victory, the Yellow Jackets’ defense lead them to it. The Panthers threatened to put the go-ahead run on the board on the board several times in extra innings but the Yellow Jackets came up with big plays to quell their rallies time and time and time again.
The Panthers best chance to pull off a Game 1 upset came in the top of the tenth.
Jackson Stephens, who’d come on for Oxford Game 1 starter Tucker Simpson, hit speedy Pell City leadoff hitter Justin Morgan to start the inning. Morgan stole second and Billingsley, the next batter up, grounded out to move him to the third with three-hole hitter Alex Jones up next.
Morgan was called out on a play at the plate following a relay from Oxford catcher Alex Muncher to Stephens on a passed ball — Morgan stared in bewilderment at the home plate umpire — for the second out. Stephens picked off a runner at first to get out of the inning.
Pell City’s Dylan Calhoun tripled with one out in the eleventh. But Stephens, also signed to Alabama, came up big again, picking off Calhoun at third and striking out Casey Seals to retire the side.
Salter struck out Oxford’s Will Davis with runners on first and second in the bottom of the eleventh and Zach Lovvorn in the bottom of the twelfth.
Pell City (29-17) had a chance in the thirteenth with the bases loaded and two outs. But Stephens fanned Calhoun on a 3-2 pitch to set up Goodson’s heroics.
“Great players do great things and I think everybody on this team is a great player," Stephens said. “We were blessed and they (big plays) just came at the right time.
“Everybody did a great job. It wasn’t just one person. It was everybody.”
Stephens earned the win in Game 1, striking out 11 while allowing no runs on two hits in six innings.
Goodson led the way again offensively in Game 2 with four RBIs, including a three-run home in the second to break the game open. Joe McGuire had had two hits. Taylor McCracken had a double and Zach Lovvorn added a sacrifice fly.
Lovvorn earned the win, allowing no earned runs on one hit while walking three and striking out one. Frazier Taylor came on and struck out three while giving up three hits.
