By By Matthew Nascone
There may not have been any Bob Barker sightings or game show contestants present, but the Price was definitely right for the Northview Chiefs Tuesday night against Walton in the opening round of the FHSAA Class 3A District 1 Tournament.
NHS starter Jeff Price threw a complete game two-hitter to seal a postseason appearance for the Chiefs.
"Jeff has been consistent all year and every time he goes out on that mound we get a good performance from him," NHS head coach Sid Wheatley said. "When he is out there he gives the other guys a sense of confidence because they know he will do his part. And he did an outstanding job against Walton. He had a sharp curve that kept them off balance and we played good defense behind him."
Price (8-4) cruised through the first six innings, striking out two batters and walking two. He kept the Chiefs (13-11) in the game and the Chiefs hitters pushed across two runs for Price. NHS opened the scoring in the third inning with one run scored and Brandon Walker hit a solo home run in the sixth inning to give the Chiefs the insurance run they needed to win the game.
Walker finished the game 1-for-3 with one home run, one run scored and one RBI.
Price kept Walton from scoring a run until the seventh inning when NHS committed an error that allowed a run to score. Wheatley said Price was put in a jam with a runner on third base with one out. But the squeeze bunt attempt by Walton was squashed when Price picked the bunt up on the first hop and tagged the runner coming from third out.
He then got a fly ball to end the game and punch the Chiefs' ticket to the postseason.
"The main thing about this win is that we clinched a playoff spot," Wheatley said. "That was a main goal of ours at the beginning of the year and these kids are excited and looking forward to playing in the playoffs."
Jared Simpson went 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI. Price was 1-for-2 with a double. Sean Little went 1-for-3 and Ryan Chason was 1-for-2. Luke Killam scored the other run for NHS.
With the win, Northview advanced to the district championship game that was played Friday. If the Chiefs won they will host the loser of the Marianna vs. Chipley game in the first round of the state playoffs. And if they lost they will travel to the winner of that same game. The results from the championship game will be in an upcoming Advance.