By Staff
Six-game streak puts Pirates up front
By SCOTT COOPER – Sports Writer
The Pirates stretched their winning streak to six games while improving to 10-2 on the season and assuming the leading position in the Brewton Babe Ruth League.
The Astros, who held or shared the league's top spot until the past week's play ended, hold down second place with an 8-3 record while the Blue Jays' 7-5 mark places them in third. Rounding-out the remaining three teams are the Brewers (5-6), Angels (4-7) and Devil Rays (0-11).
Brewers 18, Angels 8
The Brewers jumped-out front with nine first-inning runs on the way to an 18-8 May 27 win over the Angels.
RBI base hits by Jared Cooper, Wade McCall and Jonathan Taylor fueled the early Brewer explosion that proved to be too much for the Angels to overcome.
Bobby Freeman earned the win for the Brewers in relief, allowing three hits and striking-out three in four innings work.
Batting leaders for the Brewers were Jared Cooper, 3-for-4 with two RBIs; Wade McCall, 2-for-3 with two RBIs; Jonathan Taylor, 2-for-3 with two RBIs; Justin Marshall, 1-for-2 with two RBIs and Bobby Freeman, 2-for-4 with one RBI.
Leaders at the plate for the Angels were Whitney Qualls, 2-for-3 with two RBIs; Kirby Green 2-for-3 with one RBI; Josh Danley, 2-for-3 and Spencer Williamson, 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
Blue Jays 17, Devil Rays 0
Jake Smith tossed a four-hitter and Justin Smith blasted a monstrous two-run homer in leading the Blue Jays to a May 27 17-0 victory over the Devil Rays.
After building a 5-0 cushion at the end of the first inning, the Blue Jays continued adding to the lead until the game was called at the completion of five innings due to the 10-run rule.
Smith went the distance and struck-out six to compliment his four-hit performance.
Offensive leaders for the Blue Jays were Mackie Jackson, 3-for-3 with two RBIs; Justin Smith, 3-for-4 with three RBIs; Chris Griffin, 1-for-2 with two RBIs; Jake Smith, 1-for-2 with one RBI; Javaris Drakeford, 1-for-3 and Derek Busby, 1-for-3.
Leading the Devil Ray offense were Cory Burkett, 2-for-2; Fred Samuel, 1-for-1 and Blake Bradley, 1-for-2.
Pirates 9, Astros 1
Entering a May 27 matchup of league leaders, the Astros held a half-game lead over the Pirates. However, after Baxley Raines tossed a four-hitter and the Pirates' offense consistently capitalized on scoring opportunities, the Pirates seized control of the top spot with a 9-1 victory.
After taking a 2-1 lead at the completion of one inning, the Pirates added four runs in the third and three more in the fifth while holding the Astros scoreless over the last six innings.
In addition to his four-hitter, Raines' winning performance from the mound was highlighted by 13 strikeouts and only three walks.
Pacing the Pirates' offense were Baxley Raines, 2-for-3 with two RBIs; Allen Williams, 1-for-2 with one RBI and Robin Travis, 1-for-2.
Batting leaders for the Astros were Tanner Shehan, 2-for-3; Mikel Riggs, 1-for-2 and Jimmy Jones, 1-for-3.
Angels 16, Devil Rays 9
The Angels took advantage of seven of their opponent's errors to compliment an 11-hit offensive attack in a 16-9 win over the Devil Rays on May 29.
The Devil Rays took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but the Angels answered with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Then, three more scores in the second inning pushed the advantage to 7-2 before the Angels exited with a comfortable victory.
Spencer Williamson earned the win in a starting role, going three innings while allowing two hits and striking-out six.
Offensive leaders for the Angels were Spencer Williamson, 3-for-4 with two RBIs; Jeffrey Stokes, 3-for-4 with one RBI; Kris Powe, 1-for-2; Jimmy Wilson, 1-for-3 with one RBI; Whitney Qualls, 1-for-3 and Clayton Booker, two RBIs.
Devil Ray batting leaders were Patrick Reeves, 2-for-3 with one RBI; Fred Samuel, 1-for-2; James Hamric, 1-for-3 and Cory Burkett, 1-for-3.
Astros 11, Brewers 6
A May 29 meeting of the Astros and Brewers saw the Astros fall behind 1-0 before getting untracked offensively in the second and third innings on their way to an 11-6 win.
Trailing 1-0 as they came to bat in the second inning, the Astros proceeded to move three runs home for a 3-1 lead. Then, a four-base-hit third inning allowed five more runners to cross home plate while upping the Astros' advantage to 8-1. From there, the Brewers faced an uphill battle they simply were unable to climb.
Jimmy Jones went the distance in earning the win for the Astros. Jones gave-up eight hits and three walks while recording seven strikeouts.
Leaders at the plate for the Astros were Mikel Riggs, 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Edward Taylor, 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
Jared Cooper went 2-for-2 with three RBIs to lead the Brewers' offensive efforts.
Pirates 7, Blue Jays 6
The Blue Jays gave the league leaders all they could handle in a May 29 matchup before the Pirates scored two last-inning runs to escape with a 7-6 win.
With the Blue Jays out front by a 6-5 margin heading to the seventh inning, the Pirates received a clutch RBI single from Allen Williams before adding another run to complete a determined come-from-behind victory.
Antonio Gomez notched the win for the Pirates, striking-out nine and allowing only four hits in a complete-game performance.
Leading the Pirates' offense were Hayes Peace, 1-for-1 with two RBIs; Robin Travis, 1-for-1 and Allen Williams, 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Becker Denton went 2-for-3 with three RBIs in leading the Blue Jays' offense.
Astros 3, Angels 2
A May 31 contest between the Astros and Angels was defensive-oriented affair that required eight innings before a winner was decided.
With pitching and defense dominating the action, the two teams ended regulation locked in a 1-1 tie. The Angels then took a 2-1 lead with a run in the top of the eighth. But, the Astros came right back to snatch the victory in the bottom half of the inning. Four consecutive hits moved two runs home and allowed the Astros to notch a hard-fought 3-2 win.
Tanner Shehan, Brad Smith, Kendall Land and Jordan Cauley shared duties on the mound in the Astros' victory.
Offensive leaders for the Astros were Jordan Cauley, 3-for-3; Brad Smith, 3-for-4 and Jimmy Jones, 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
Leading the Angels' offense were Spencer Williamson, 2-for-3 with one RBI and Aaron Nelson, 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Pirates 18, Devil Rays 3
Allen Williams and Hayes Martin combined for a four-hitter and Baxley Raines drove home four runs in leading the Pirates to a May 31 18-3 victory over the Devil Rays.
The Pirates enjoyed a commanding 14-1 advantage at the completion of three innings before the Devil Rays moved home two runs in the fourth. The Pirates then added four runs in their half of the fourth and ended the game by holding the Devil Rays scoreless in the top of the fifth.
Williams gave-up two hits and struck-out four over three innings while earning the win in a starting role. Martin came on in relief, allowing two hits in two innings work.
Leaders at the plate for the Pirates were Baxley Raines, 2-for-2 with four RBIs; Justin Gomez, 1-for-1; Brandon Odom, 1-for-2; Robin Travis, 1-for-3 with one RBI and Allen Williams, 1-for-3.
Leading the Devil Ray offense were Patrick Reeves, 1-for-2 with one RBI; James Hamric, 1-for-2; Brice Martin, 1-for-2 and Blake Bradley, 1-for-2.
Brewers 6, Blue Jays 5
Justin Marshall got the job done on both the offensive and defensive ends in the Brewers' May 31 win over the Blue Jays. Marshall tossed a five-hitter and helped his team with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate in the Brewers' 6-5 comeback win.
Although down 5-1 at the end of three innings, the Brewers fought back with two fourth-inning runs before overtaking the lead with three more scores in the sixth.
While earning the win, Marshall struck-out 10 and gave-up only three walks in his five-hit performance.
Brewer offensive leaders were Jake Hodge, 1-for-1 with two RBIs; Travis Holland, 2-for-4 with one RBI; Justin Marshall, 2-for-4 and Bobby Freeman, 1-for-2.
Offensive leaders for the Blue Jays were Jake Smith, 2-for-2 with two RBIs; Aaron Lambert, 1-for-1 with one RBI; Justin Smith, 1-for-2 and Mackie Jackson, 1-for-3.
Blue Jays 12, Brewers 5
The Blue Jays got a bit of revenge in their second May 31 meeting with the Brewers. Jumping out to a 1-0 lead at the end of an inning, the Brewers continued padding the cushion over the course of the game.
Leading 5-3 at the end of two innings, the Blue Jays scored three unanswered runs in the third to push their advantage to 8-3 before coasting from there to a decisive 12-5 victory.
Derek Busby allowed eight hits and struck-out one in a complete-game win for the Blue Jays.
Leading the Blue Jays' offense were Casey Butts, 2-for-3 with two RBIs; Becker Denton, 2-for-3; Justin Smith, 1-for-2 with three RBIs; Mackie Jackson, 2-for-4 with two RBIs; Jake Smith, 2-for-4 and Javaris Drakeford, 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Pacing the Brewers' offense were Jake Hodge, 1-for-1 with two RBIs; Jared Cooper, 2-for-3; Bobby Freeman, 1-for-2 with one RBI; Parke Dubose, 1-for-2 with one RBI; James Freeman, 1-for-2; Justin Marshall, 1-for-3 and Wade McCall, 1-for-3.
Angels 11, Astros 10
In a May 31 matchup against the Astros, the Angels built a substantial lead and held on as a final-inning Astros' rally came up just short.
As the Astros came to bat in the top of the seventh inning, the Angels held what appeared to be a comfortable 11-5 lead. Five Astro runs later, though, an 11-10 Angels' advantage was a bit too close for comfort. However, Angel reliever Jeffrey Stokes closed the door on the rally to preserve the win for the Angels.
Spencer Williamson, Kirby Green and Stokes combined their efforts from the mound in the Angels' win.
Pacing the Angels' offense were Josh Danley, 3-for-3 with one RBI; Jeffrey Stokes, 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Brenden Klenk, 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
Offensive leaders for the Astros were Edward Taylor, 1-for-2; Brad Smith, 1-for-3 with three RBIs and Michael Hunt, 1-for-3.
Pirates 12, Devil Rays 2
The Pirates met the Devil Rays for the second time on May 31 and once again ended the game at the end of five innings due to the 10-run rule.
Getting RBI base hits from Hayes Peace, Daniel Pace, Brandon Odom and Tyler Brown, the Pirates flexed their league-leading muscles for six first-inning runs. Four more runs in the third inning escalated the lead to 10-0 and the Pirates breezed their way from that point to a 12-2 victory.
Pirate starting pitcher Allen Williams recorded the win, going four innings while allowing three hits and striking-out five.
Leading the Pirates' offensive attack were Hayes Peace, 3-for-3 with two RBIs; Robin Travis, 1-for-1; Daniel Pace, 2-for-3 with two RBIs; Tyler Brown, 2-for-3 with one RBI; Brandon Odom, 1-for-2; Hayes Martin, 1-for-2 and Allen Williams, 1-for-3.
Leaders at the plate for the Devil Rays were Patrick Reeves, 2-for-3 with one RBI; Brice Martin, 1-for-2 with one RBI and James Hamric, 1-for-2.