In a tension-filled game Monday in East Brewton that felt like a game seven of a World Series, the Flomaton Hurricanes edged out the Eagles of W.S. Neal 5-4.
The win for the No. 4-ranked Hurricanes improved them to 21-3 with their 20th straight win while W.S. Neal fell to 17-8.
Flomaton jumped on the Eagles early with two runs in the first inning but the Eagles came back with one in the second to cut the lead to 2-1 after two innings.
The game would remain that way until the top of the fourth when Flomaton plated one run to take a 3-1 lead. Flomaton would get their final two runs of the game in the fifth inning off a two-run homerun.
Things got interesting and tempers began to flare in the bottom of the fifth when W.S. Neal scored three runs to cut the lead to 5-4. Cam Blackman led off the inning for the Eagles and struck out, but reached on a passed ball. After much discussion between the umpires and coaches from both teams, Blackman was ruled safe at first. Jeremy Myers followed with a walk as did Damion Williams. After two strikeouts for the Eagles, Logan Williamson singled and scored Blackman and Myers scored on an error by the Hurricanes to cut the lead to 5-3. Williams later scored for W.S. Neal to cut the lead to 5-4.
After a scoreless sixth inning for both teams, Flomaton appeared to get an insurance run in the seventh inning after a player stole home. But when the run scored, the Flomaton batter at the plate was called out on strikes and the run was ruled not to score as the Eagles went into the bottom of the seventh down one.
In the seventh, W.S. Neal failed to get a runner on as they took the loss by one.
“Flomaton has not won 20 in a row for no reason” W.S. Neal Eagle head coach Coy Campbell said. “They have a good team. They battled and got up. But give our kids credit too, we were down 5-1 and we battled back and get it to 5-4. We had opportunities late and we didn’t execute what we needed to do at the plate to get runners on in the sixth and seventh innings. That is what you have to do to get games tied and to get games won. I am pleased with the way we played tonight. We lost. I don’t like losing and nobody likes to lose, but it is good for our kids. We realized today that we are in the playoffs now, win lose or draw with Thomasville and Jackson. We will go from there.”
At the plate for W.S. Neal, who was held to only three hits in the loss, Williamson was 1-for-2 with one RBI and Reid Johnson and Brian Settle were both 1-for-3.
Settle took the loss on the mound going five innings and allowing nine hits, five runs, four earned, walked four and struck out five.
Jeremy Myers went the final two innings and allowed one hit and struck out two.
W.S. Neal was scheduled to play at home against T.R. Miller Tuesday and will play at Northview Friday and at Jay Monday.
W.S. Neal is in the playoffs that is set to begin Friday and Saturday, April 20 and 21.
If Thomasville sweeps Jackson this week, W.S. Neal is the area champion. If Jackson wins one game against Thomasville, W.S. Neal is the area runner-up.

WSN JV 6, Flomaton 3
In a JV game Monday, W.S. Neal doubled up the Hurricanes 6-3 to improve to 7-9-1.
W.S. Neal scored two runs each in the first, third and fourth innings while holding Flomaton to one run in the second and two in the fourth.
Miles Powell earned the win on the mound for the Eagles and Colten Morris earned the save. Powell went four innings and allowed five hits, three runs, one earned, walked one, hit three and struck out eight.
Morris allowed one strikeout, hit one and walked two.
At the plate, W.S. Neal had four hits. Jerad Salter was 1-for-2 with one RBI and Michael Williams was 1-for-2 with a double and one RBI. Malcolm Hawthorne was 1-for-2 and Robin Swift was 1-for-2 with one RBI.