ADDISON, Ala. – The 2026 AHSAA baseball playoffs are officially underway, and the Addison Bulldogs hosted the Hackleburg Panthers, a team that they defeated easily 15-2 earlier this year, in the first round of the Class 1A state playoffs. Addison trailed 5-1 late in game one, but they launched a late rally in the fifth and the game-winning RBI single by Jaxson Williams in the seventh helped seal their 6-5 come-from-behind win over Hackleburg. Game two was all Bulldogs, as a big first inning and a dominant performance on the mound by Tucker Thompson were key in their 9-3 win in game two, as they move on to the second round.
Addison 6 – Hackleburg 5 (Game One)
Addison starter Kiah Lake quickly found himself in some early trouble to start out the game, as he gave up back-to-back singles to Ross Hudson and Kross Weeks to put runners at first and second with nobody out. A ground ball moved them over to third and second, then a hit by pitch loaded the bases. Lake got Jakoby Burns to pop out for the second out, but Kannen Cheatham drew a bases-loaded walk to give Hackleburg the early lead. The Bulldogs got that run back in their half. Tucker Thompson reached on a one-out error and moved up to second during the play. Conner Lane lined a single to left field to put runners at the corners. Two pitches later, Stone Talley drove in Thompson on a ground ball to tie it up at one.
Jaydin Ware drew a walk to lead off the second inning for the Panthers. A ground ball, then a wild pitch, saw him move up to third with one out, and an error allowed him to score to give Hackleburg a 2-1 lead. The Panthers added to their lead in the top of the third. Jaxson Beard led off the inning with a single, then after he stole second, Burns lined a single to center field, and another Bulldog error allowed Beard to score to make it 3-1. Another single put runners at the corners with nobody out, and a ground ball by Hayes Henderson brought home Burns to stretch their lead to 4-1. A two-out double by Lane, followed by an intentional walk by Talley, had Addison in business in their half, but a ground ball quickly ended the inning.
Addison looked to crack the scoreboard for the first time since the first inning in the bottom of the fourth. Jaxson Williams led off the inning with a single, then Ben Bridges reached on an error to put runners at the corners with nobody out. Hackleburg starter Maddox Vickery, though, got Scout Flynn to fly out into a double play and got Preuitt Woods to pop out to get out of the inning unscathed. The Panthers continued to add onto their lead in the top of the fifth. Beard reached on an error to lead off the inning, and Burns got hit by the pitch to put runners at first and second with nobody out. A fly ball moved Beard over to third, then Henderson blooped an RBI single to right field to put Hackleburg up, 5-1.
The Bulldog offense quickly got going in the bottom of the fifth. Thompson hit a single to center field, then Lane hit the first pitch he saw into left field for a double to put runners at second and third with one out. After an intentional walk, Lake got hit by the pitch to force home a run to make it 5-2, and Williams drove in a run on a fielder’s choice to cut it to 5-3. Lake set Hackleburg down in order in the top of the sixth, and Addison continued to chip away at the Panther lead in their half. Flynn lined a single to left field to lead off the inning, then he moved up to second on a wild pitch. He advanced to third on a ground ball, and he scored on a sacrifice fly by Canaan Speegle to trim it to just a one-run game at 5-4.
Lake worked around a two-out error in the top of the seventh to keep it at a one-run game. The Bulldogs looked to win it in their final at-bats. Lane led off the inning with a single to right field, then two pitches later, Talley reached on an error, as that put runners at the corners with nobody out. Lake delivered one of the biggest hits of the game for Addison, as he lined an RBI double to center field to tie it up at five. The big hits didn’t stop there, though, as Williams hit the game-winning RBI single to left field on the first pitch to give the Bulldogs the 6-5 come-from-behind win in game one.
Williams (two hits, including the game-winning RBI single) and Lake (game-tying RBI double) each drove in a pair of runs in the win for Addison, while Speegle and Talley each collected an RBI of their own in the game. Lake went seven innings for the Bulldogs, as he gave up six hits, five runs (two earned), walked two, and struck out three.
Addison 9 – Hackleburg 3 (Game Two)
Game two saw Addison get out to a fast start offensively, as Speegle led off the game with a solo home run to give them the early lead. They were only getting started, though, as Thompson followed that up with a double, and Lane drove him in on an RBI single to make it 2-0. After an intentional walk, Lake hit an RBI single of his own to stretch their lead to 3-0. One out later, a single by Bridges loaded the bases for Flynn. He kept the onslaught going with a two-run single to put the Bulldogs up, 5-0. Speegle, who led off the game with a home run, reached on an error, which allowed Bridges to score to make it 6-0. Thompson’s sacrifice fly made it 7-0.
Hackleburg loaded the bases with two outs in their half, but Thompson struck out Cheatham to get out of the early jam. Thompson quickly settled down in the second, as he struck out all three batters he faced that inning. The Panthers cracked the scoreboard against Thompson in the bottom of the third, as an RBI single by Burns cut it to 7-1. Addison got that run back in the top of the fourth. Talley led off the inning with a home run to give the Bulldogs an 8-1 lead. Hackleburg made it 8-2 on an RBI double by Hudson in their half.
Speegle reached on an one-out error in the top of the fifth, and Thompson’s single put runners at first and second with one out. Speegle ended up scoring on a sacrifce fly by Lane, as that gave Addison a 9-2 lead. Hackleburg trimmed it to six at 9-3 in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single by Vickery. The Panthers wouldn’t get any closer after that, as Thompson retired the side in the seventh to help seal the Bulldogs’ 9-3 win over Hackleburg to move on to the second round of the state playoffs.
Speegle, Lane, and Flynn all finished with a hit and two RBIs in the win for Addison. Thompson and Lake each added three hits and an RBI, and Talley collected a hit and an RBI in the game. Thompson gave up 12 hits, three earned runs, and struck out 10 in his complete game effort.
Addison will take on the Berry/South Lamar winner next week.
