TUSCALOOSA – Shelton Stare scored six runs in its final two at-bats as the Bucs surged past Bevill State 13-7 on Monday.
The Bucs scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to snap a 6-6 tie, then added four insurance runs in the eighth for it’s ninth straight win.
Shelton State (30-14) scored three runs on two hits in the bottom of the seventh to take a 9-6 lead.
Freshman Mason Steele, who entered the game in left field in the sixth inning, delivered a two-out single to right.
After Steele swiped second base, freshman centerfielder Pierce Dutton lined a single to center to score Steele with the go-ahead run.
Sophomore right fielder Jordan Evans reached on error to put runners on the corners.
Evans stole second base and moved to third on a subsequent error. Dutton scored on the play. Evans trotted home on a wild pitch to make it 9-6.
The Bucs tacked on four insurance runs in the eighth to push the lead to 13-6. Sophomore third baseman Kyle Morrison ripped a two-run double and Dutton added a two-run single.
Freshman right-hander Andrew Thomas (2-0) posted his second win of the season. He allowed one run and one hit in two innings.
Dees Price (1-3) suffered the loss after he allowed three runs in 1 2/3 innings.
Bevill State got a sac fly from Matthew McCaffrey in the ninth to make the final 13-7.
Asa Morrison’s two-run home put the Bears in front 2-0 in the second inning.
Shelton State answered with six runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-2 lead.
Sophomore catcher Christian Pritchett, sophomore DH Hayes Alford and sophomore third baseman Davis Randolph loaded the bases on three straight one-out singles.
Freshman second baseman Brady Waugh drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home Pritchett with the first run. Freshman left fielder Hayden Turner reached on an infield hit to score Alford with the tying run.
After a strikeout, freshman right fielder Trenton Shirley and sophomore first baseman Wesley Helms both had two-run singles to push the lead to 6-2.
Bevill State (13-29) got three runs on three hits in the fourth to make it a 6-5 game. A sac fly, ground out and wild pitch accounted for the runs.
The Bears tied the game on Ayden Payne’s sac fly in the seventh.
Despite the high-scoring game, both teams missed several scoring opportunities.
Bevill State left 13 runners on base, while Shelton State stranded 11 runners.
The Bucs are back in action this weekend with a four-game ACCC series against Coastal Alabama South. The teams will play two games on Thursday in Bay Minette and two games on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Both double headers begin at 2 p.m.
The first-place Bucs hold a one-game lead over the Coyotes in the ACCC Division I standings.
GAME NOTES:
Shelton State is riding a 9-game winning streak, it’s longest of the season. The 9-game winning streak is the longest by the Bucs since winning 14 straight games from March 26-April 17, 2021.
Shelton State swept the two-game season series with Bevill State. The Bucs also defeated the Bears 9-8 in the season opener. In both games, the Bucs scored the winning run in the seventh inning.
The Bucs used 17 position players and eight pitchers in Monday’s game.
Dutton went 2-for-6 with one run scored and three RBIs in the win over Bevill State. He drove in the go-ahead run with a seventh inning single. He also added a two-run single in the eighth.
Shirley was 2-for-4 with one run scored and two RBIs. He had a two-run single in the Bucs 6-run second inning.
Helms was 2-for-5 with two RBIs. He also had a two-run single in the Bucs 6-run second inning.
Pritchett made his first career start at catcher on Monday. He finished 1-for-3 with one run scored.
Alford was 2-for-3 with one run scored as the starting DH.
Randolph was 2-for-4 with one run scored as the starting third baseman. He singled and scored in the second inning and doubled in the third inning.
Waugh reached base in all three plate appearances as the starting second baseman. He drew a bases loaded walk in the 6-run second inning and walked again in the third. He singled and stole a base in the fifth.
Morrison went 1-for-2 with one double and two RBIs after entering the game in the sixth inning. He played second base and third base.
His two-run double in the eighth inning extended his on-base streak to 33 consecutive games.
Turner was 1-for-3 with one run scored and one walk as the starting left fielder.
Steele went 1-for-2 with one run scored and one stolen base as backup left fielder. He singled and scored winning run in the seventh inning.
Shelton State pitchers issued nine walks and hit two batters on Monday.
Freshman right hander Skyler Hutto returned to the mound for the first time since March 23. He made his second start of the season on Monday and tossed one scoreless inning. After he walked the leadoff batter on four pitches, he retired the next three hitters. He threw 13 pitches.
Freshman right hander Jeremy O’Quinn made his first appearance on the mound since Feb. 8. He worked one scoreless inning and allowed one hit, one walk and one hit batter.
Freshman right hander Jeremy Jones tossed one scoreless inning and threw 14 pitches.
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