TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Today was not a day for baseball purists to watch Stillman College baseball because it was runs galore today at Tiger Field. Wilberforce University won the first game of the doubleheader 7-4, but Stillman took game two of the day 25-24 in 8 innings.
Game One - Wilberforce 7, Stillman 4
Wilberforce jumped on the Tigers early with a run in the top of the second thanks to a sacrifice fly by Keith Smith, Jr. Joe Mendy followed with an RBI in the fourth, and Julien Patton smashed a two-run homer to left to go up 4-0. Then, in the sixth, Beau Spears wrapped the run with a two-RBI single to give the Bulldogs a commanding 6-0 lead.
Gavin Rehorn got Stillman on the board in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single to bring in
Javian Rives.
Devin Kelly nabbed an RBI with a single to right center as Jeff Wilson scored. Mehka Hicks followed with a two-RBI single to right field as Kelly and Rehorn scored to cut the lead to 6-4.
However, in the seventh, Seth Spann scored on a wild pitch to end the Tigers' rally as Wilberforce won the opener 7-4.
Griff Minor (3-2) went five innings in the loss, allowed six hits and four earned runs, and struck out two batters.
Jaxon Pearson pitched an inning of relief with a strikeout but allowed three hits and an earned run.
Caleb Vallejo posted a strikeout and allowed one hit and an earned run in an inning of work.
Game Two - Stillman 25, Wilberforce 24 (8 innings)
The Tiger bats came out hot early in the bottom of the first. Minor knocked a sacrifice fly to center field as
Kameran Belser came in to score.
Samuel Fleming followed with a two-run home to left field.
Michael Glover doubled down the left field line for an RBI as
Michael Moses came in to score.
Davion Wilkins ended the big inning with a double down the left field line to bring in
Kobe Lewis.
In the bottom of the second, Minor tripled to right center field to bring in Lewis and Fleming, followed with an RBI through the left side to score Minor to give Stillman a 7-0 lead.
However, in the top of the third, Wilberforce stormed back to take a 10-7 lead, highlighted by a three-RBI double by Jaylen Davis and capped by a two-RBI double by Darius Woodson.
Minor responded in the bottom of the third with an RBI-double as Lewis came around to score. Fleming immediately followed with a single up the middle to bring in Minor and cut the score to 10-9.
Wilberforce added more runs in the fifth when Woodson's hit up the middle and compounded by an error allowed four runs to score on one play to move the score to 14-9.
Stillman responded with six runs in the bottom of the inning, starting with Glover drawing a bases-loaded walk to bring in Minor. Fleming scored on an error by the catcher soon after. Belset singled for an RBI as Moses scored. Lewis drew another bases-loaded to being in Glover. Minor finished the inning with a two-RBI single through the right side, brought in Belser and Rehorn to give the Tigers a 15-14 lead.
The Tigers' lead exploded in the sixth as nine runs lit the scoreboard, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Minor and an inside the park homerun for three RBIs from
Troy Easterling. Stillman took a 24-14 lead.
Undaunted, Wilberforce battled back in the seventh inning with 10 runs to force extra innings, capped by a two-RBI single to the shortstop by Thomas Hampton to tie the game 24-24.
Fleming put an end to matters in the eighth with a homer to left field for the walk-off win.
Minor finished with six RBIs after going 4-of-5 in the ball game and just a home run short of the cycle. Fleming posted five RBIs on 5-of-7 hitting and finished a triple short of the cycle.
Caleb Vallejo (1-0) got the win in 1.1 innings of relief with three strikeouts.
John Roland Jr. started game two, and with 2.2 innings,
Xavier Reyna threw 0.1 innings,
Caleb Schreiner pitched 2.0 innings with two strikeouts, and Collin Dubose went 1.2 innings and registered a pair of strikeouts.
Stillman College returns to action tomorrow at noon to wrap the series against Wilberforce at Tiger Field.
