Post 12, Tuscaloosa co-champs of Circle City Classic

Dothan Post 12 and Tuscaloosa Post 34 had to settle for another tournament co-championship, but at least there weren’t gunshots this time.

Two years ago in Alaska, the teams had to cancel their tournament title game after gunshots were fired near the field. Sunday at Northcutt Field, the two couldn’t play the championship game of the Circle City Classic because of heavy rains.

Earlier in the day, Tuscaloosa beat DeLand Post 6 by a 5-4 score and Dothan beat Team Florida 5-3.

But 30 minutes before Dothan and Tuscaloosa — two in-state American Legion rivals — were set to play, heavy rains interrupted those plans.

Because of Tuscaloosa’s travel and the field still reeling from some rain Saturday, the decision was made to cancel the game and declare the teams co-champions. The two split a pair of games earlier this season in Tuscaloosa and won’t play again until possibly the state tournament in Troy in late July.

“I really wanted to play those guys because they’ve got a good team,” Dothan Post 12 manager Larry Tubbs said. “We’re going to see them again. Us two will obviously meet up in a game more important than this one.”

Post 12 came into Sunday’s semifinal reeling off an 8-0 loss to Sanford, Fla., late Saturday night. Post 12 had clinched its pool title to get to the semis, but didn’t play like a champion Saturday night.

That left Tubbs worried about how his team would respond Sunday afternoon.

“It got me thinking ‘What kind of club do we really have,’” Tubbs said. “How were we going to respond? We laid an egg, but I guess teams do that. We had already won the pool championship.”

Sparked by lefty Ben Tidwell’s five innings of dominant relief, Post 12 took the 5-3 win. Tidwell came on in the third inning and gave up just one hit and one run, striking out five.

“Ben brought his A-game today,” Tubbs said. “Tidwell’s one of those guys that will get after you on the mound. He brings that energy to the club. He wants the ball and wants to pitch.”

Tidwell came on early after Karsten Whitson, who threw two innings in a showcase in Minneapolis, Minn., Thursday night, wasn’t as sharp as normal. He threw two innings and gave up two first-inning runs Sunday.

“That thing in Minnesota took a little more out of him than he was willing to admit,” Tubbs said. “He was tired and didn’t have good stuff.”

After Team Florida got two runs in the first thanks to three straight singles to lead off the game, Post 12 got three in the bottom of the first. Payne Palmer and Hayden Hillyer reached on errors. Palmer scored on Josh Podoris’ two-out double down the left field line and Neil Hudson drove in two with a single.

Team Florida tied it at 3-3 in the fifth, but Kyle Brown singled in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth and Brennan Olive drove in a run with a single in the sixth.

“We knew we had to get great pitching and execute our offense, and we did that,” Tubbs said.