By By Adam Robinson
Sports Editor
After taking two tough losses to defending 4A state baseball champion Jackson in area play to fall to 8-6 and 0-2 in area play, the W.S. Neal Eagle baseball team evened their record with two wins Friday night at home.
The Eagles defeated the B.C. Rain Red Raiders in sweeping fashion Friday night at home as they improved to 10-6 and 2-2 in area play with two 10-run rule victories.
The Eagles won 11-1 in game one over B.C. Rain and picked up a 12-2 win in game two to improve to 10-6.
The Eagles will take on T.R. Miller Monday in Brewton before ending their season with an away game at UMS-Wright Wednesday and a home doubleheader against the Bulldogs on Thursday in East Brewton.
If W.S. Neal loses the first game of the doubleheader at home, no second game will be played.
Game one: W.S. Neal 11, B.C. Rain 1
In game one against the B.C. Rain Red Raiders Friday night, W.S. Neal used the pitching duo of William Shell and Dylan Godwin to one-hit the Red Raiders while the offense scored 11 runs to win 11-1.
Shell picked up the win on the mound for the Eagles. Shell went three innings and allowed no runs, no hits, one walk and struck out seven.
Godwin pitched the final two innings and allowed an unearned run on one hits, walked none and struck out six.
W.S. Neal scored four runs in the first inning on two hits and five in the second inning to hold an early 9-0 before B.C. Rain cut the lead to 9-1 in the top of the fourth inning.
The Eagles then scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to grab an 11-1 lead.
Godwin struck out the side in the top of the fifth inning to give the Eagles the 10-run win.
Christian Purvis led the Eagles on the offensive side of the ball.
Purvis was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a double.
Reid Johnson was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and William Shell and Tyler Cross were both 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Jacob Cannon was 1-for-3 with a double and Dodson Herrington was 1-for-3.
Logan Williamson was 1-for-1 with two RBIs in the win for the Eagles.
Game two: W.S. Neal 12, B.C. Rain 2
Game two was much like game one for the Eagles. A combination of four pitchers allowed only one hit and the offense plated 12 runs on nine hits to pick up their second 1-run rule win over the Red Raiders.
Keith Bradley picked up the win on the mound for the Eagles.
Bradley went two innings and allowed no runs, no hits, no walks and struck out two in the win.
Brian Settle relieved Bradley and went one inning striking out two and Hayden Cooper relieved Settle and went one inning allowing two unearned runs on no hits, walked one and struck out two.
Purvis closed the game with an inning of work and allowed one hit, struck out one and walked one.
W.S. Neal led 2-0 after the first inning, but scored five runs in the second inning to claim a 7-0 lead.
After failing to score in the third inning, B.C. Rain scored two runs of their own to cut the lead to 7-2.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Eagles added one run to grab an 8-2 lead and scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to get the 12-2 win and even their area record at 2-2.
Hunter Mullins was 1-for-2 at the plate for the Eagles and Purvis was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a double.
Johnson was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and Cannon was 1-for-1 along with Josh Palmer who was 1-for-1 with one RBI.
Bradley was 1-for-2 at the plate along with Cross.
Nate Sheffield plated the winning run of the game with an RBI.
Jackson 14, W.S. Neal 4
Things went from good to bad for the W.S. Neal Eagle baseball in a hurry Tuesday night in Jackson.
After taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning against the defending 4A state baseball champions, Jackson used a six-run first inning to turn a three-run deficit into a three-run lead and get a 14-4 win over the Eagles of East Brewton.
The loss dropped W.S. Neal to 8-6 overall and 0-2 in area play with the area loss to Jackson.
Tyler Cross took the loss on the mound for the Eagles.
Jackson, after taking a 6-3 lead after one inning of play, added two runs in the second inning to claim an 8-3 lead.
W.S. Neal cut the lead to 8-4 with one run in the top of the fourth, but Jackson added two runs in the bottom of the fourth and four runs in the bottom of the fifth to defeat the Eagles by 10 runs.
Christian Purvis and Jacob Cannon were both 1-for-2 in the loss for the Eagles and had the only two hits of the game for W.S. Neal.
Jackson benefited from two balks and two homeruns in the bottom of the first to aid in the six-run inning.
W.S. Neal was set to take on B.C. Rain at home on Friday in an area game and will be back in action on Monday when they travel to Brewton to take on T.R. Miller.
Game time is set for 4 p.m. in Brewton.
W.S. Neal will end their season with an away game at UMS-Wright in Mobile on Wednesday at 3 p.m. and will take on the Bulldogs at home on Thursday in a doubleheader at 3 p.m.