OPELIKA STATE WINS COLLEGE TITLE
For the second time in 3 years the Opelika State Wildcats are college baseball's national champion. The Wildcats swept the best-of-three AIAA championship series 2 games to none over the Liberty College Bells to claim the title. It was the second straight year the Bells reached the finals only to fall just short as they lost to Lubbock State a year ago. It also denied Liberty , winners in 1919 and 1920, of the opportunity to become the first 3-time champion. The Wildcats, Bells, Lubbock State, Indiana A&M and Dickson have all won a pair of National Titles.
The series opener started as a tremendous pitching duel between a pair of freshmen aces in Charlie Bingham (10-3, 1.71) of the Wildcats and Liberty's Jim Trippe (10-2, 2.90) who held each other's club's off the scoresheet through 6 innings. Trippe was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the 6th and his replacement, fellow freshman Dave Putnam(2-4, 4.71), got lit up for 5 Opelika State runs in the top of the 7th. Liberty got a pair of runs back in the 8th but Opelika State added insurance in the ninth in the form of a solo homerun by series MVP Glenn Thompson (.321,9,41) that made the final score 6-2 for the visiting Wildcats.
Thompson would add 3 more hits in the deciding game as Opelika State built a 4-0 lead and then survived a late Liberty rally to hang on for a 4-3 victory and the title. All-American shortstop Joy Foy (.432,5,42) also chipped in with 3 hits for the winners while catcher Bud Ward (.244,5,21) had a huge 4-for-4 day including a solo homerun and a double. For Ward and Foy, both starters on the 1927 team, it was a second championship to cap each of their college careers.