By By Adam Robinson
sports editor
The W.S. Neal Eagle baseball team found out the hard way what it was like to play the No. 1-ranked team in class 4A Thursday and Friday.
The Eagles lost to area foe Jackson 11-1 Thursday night in Jackson and 21-8 and 12-1 Friday night home in an area doubleheader. The losses saw the team fall to 8-7 overall and to 0-1 in area play and lose the head-to-head with the Aggies.
In the three game series, W.S. Neal was outscored 44-10 and gave up 27 hits in the home doubleheader Friday night including four homeruns in the first game.
Thursday: Jackson 11, W.S. Neal 1
W.S. Neal led 1-0 after the top of the fourth inning before the wheels came off against Jackson Thursday night in Jackson and lost 11-1.
W.S. Neal gave up eight runs in the fourth inning and three in the fifth inning to lose by 10 runs in five innings.
Gary McGraw got the start and the loss on the mound for the Eagles as he went 3 2/3 innings and allowed eight runs, five hits, one hit batter, six walks and struck out four.
Christian Purvis went 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on two hits, walked three and struck out none.
Hunter Mullins was 1-for-2 with one run scored and a double to lead off the game. Reid Johnson was 1-for-2 with an RBI single in the first and Damian Williams was 1-for-1 in the loss.
Friday game one: Jackson 21, W.S. Neal 8
The Aggies pounded out 20 hits and four homeruns to take down the Eagles 21-8 in a in a game that lasted over two and a half hours Friday night in East Brewton.
Jackson held a 4-2 lead after the first inning of play but plated seven runs in the top of the second inning on seven hits to take an 11-2 lead.
The Aggies would later build a lead of 14-2 and 16-3 after the top of the fourth inning until Logan Williamson’s grand slam for the Eagles helped cut the lead to 16-8 after four innings of play.
That would be the last runs of the game for W.S. Neal while Jackson plated one run in the fifth inning and four in the sixth inning to get the 13-run win.
Keith Bradley took the loss on the mound for the Eagles as he went one inning and allowed seven hits, and 11 runs.
The Eagles would use three other pitchers in the loss including Brian Settle, Tyler Sawyer, and Cam Blackmon.
At the plate for the Eagles, Hunter Mullins was 1-for-4 and Damion Williams was 2-for-2. Reid Johnson was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Williamson led the Eagles going 2-for-4 with five RBIs, a double, and a grand slam.
Christian Purvis was 1-for-3 with an RBI and Dodson Herrington was 1-for-2. Settle was 1-for-3 and Dylan Godwin was 1-for-2.
Friday game two:
Jackson 12,
W.S. Neal 1
Jackson scored seven runs in the first inning and held the Eagles to only three hits as they claimed game two by 11 runs.
Jackson held W.S. Neal to one run in the second inning while scoring two in the second and third innings and one in the fourth along with the seven in the first inning to get the win.
Godwin took the loss going the complete game six innings and allowing five earned runs on seven hits, walked two and hit two.
At the plate for the Eagles, Johnson, Godwin, and Blackmon were all 1-for-2 for the only three hits. Blackman had the lone RBI in the loss for the Eagles.