By Staff
from staff reports
Playing the Escambia County baseball tournament in Flomaton must be a good thing for the W.S. Neal Eagle baseball team.
The Eagles claimed the 2001 Escambia County tournament in Flomaton and four years later in 2005, the Eagles claimed another tournament championship.
This year, four years later and the tournament back in Flomaton, the Eagles claimed the 2009 Escambia County tournament championship with a 2-1 win over Flomaton Friday night in the final game.
The win improved the Eagles to 4-0 after sweeping the tournament field.
The Eagles defeated Escambia County 9-5 in the first game of the tournament, T.R. Miller 4-3 in the second game and Flomaton in the third game.
With the game tied at 1-all in the bottom of the seventh inning, W.S. Neal’s Dodson Herrington scored the winning run on a passed ball to give the Eagles the 2-1 win and claim the tournament championship.
Tournament MVP Tyler Cross picked up the win on the mound for the Eagles against Flomaton. Cross picked up the win in relief of starting pitcher Hayden Cooper. Cross pitched four scoreless innings for W.S. Neal.
Flomaton scored one run in the second inning and the Eagles scored one run in the third inning and the winning run in the seventh on a passed ball.
Jake Cannon led the Eagles at the plate with a 2-for-3 outing. Christian Purvis and Keith Bradley were both 1-for-3 in the win. Nathan Frazier was 1-for-2 with one RBI and Cross was 1-for-4 with one RBI.
W.S. Neal 4, T.R. Miller 3
The Eagles improved to 3-0 in the first game of the tournament doubleheader on Friday in Flomaton with a 4-3 win over rival T.R. Miller.
William Shell picked up the win on the mound for the Eagles. Shell (2-0) went the complete game and earned the win. Shell allowed no earned runs on four hits, walked two, hit two batters and struck out nine in the win.
T.R. Miller scored all their runs in the third inning while the Eagles scored one in the first inning, two in the third inning and the winning run in the fifth inning to claim the win.
At the plate for the Eagles, Cannon and Reid Johnson were both 2-for-3 in the win. Cannon had one RBI and Johnson had two.
Bradley was 1-for-3 with one RBI and Purvis was 1-for-3. Shell was 1-for-4.
For the Tigers, Sam Sharpe was 2-for-3 with two singles. Robinson was 1-for-3 with a double and Denton was 1-for-4 with a double.
W.S. Neal 18, Florala 1
The Eagles picked up their fifth straight win and their second over Florala Monday night in Florala as they pounded the Wildcats 18-1.
The Eagles scored five runs in the first inning, eight in the second inning, two in the third inning and three in the fourth inning to claim the win and improve to 5-0.
Cannon led the Eagles at the plate in the win. Cannon was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a two-run homerun.
Purvis was 3-for-4 with one RBI and Dodson Herrington was 3-for-4 with four RBIs.
Shell was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a double and Johnson was 1-for-3 with a double and one RBI.
Bradley was 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
Bradley got the start on the mound and the win. He went two innings and allowed one run. Joseph Strength went three innings and allowed no hits and struck out six.
The Eagles were set to take on Central Tuesday at home and will be back in action on Thursday at home against Flomaton at 4 p.m.