By By Matthew Nascone
The Escambia Academy Cougars baseball team suffered a close loss in the first game of the AISA Final Four on May 11.
The Cougars lost 9-7 to Coosa Valley, but EA head coach Mitch Hughes said the game could have gone either way.
"We had a chance to tie the game in the seventh, but we couldn't get it done," Hughes said.
This loss came after the Cougars had won eight of their last 10 games to get back to the Final Four. EA won six of their final seven games in the regular season to make the playoffs and took two of three from Meadowview Christian in the first round of the playoffs.
Joe Drew pitched the entire game against Coosa Valley and Hughes said he was proud with how Drew threw the ball on the mound.
"He did a good job out there and we scored three early runs for him, but we just couldn't pull it out in the end," he said.
Coosa brought in a second pitcher after the Cougars had scored six runs and EA could not hit that pitcher as well, scoring only one more run, Hughes said.
Later that day the Cougars were eliminated from the playoffs as they lost to Clarke Prep 15-1. EA finished the state tournament in fourth place.
John Brantley was named to the All-Tournament team for the Cougars.