TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Stillman College baseball team's bats stayed hot as the Tigers swept a doubleheader from the Rust College Bearcats, erupting for 21 runs in the opener before finishing off the day with an 18-10 win at Tiger Field in HBCU Athletic Conference action.
Game 1 - Stillman 21, Rust 1
Stillman set the tone immediately in Game 1, striking for six runs in its first at-bat behind timely hitting and aggressive baserunning.
Kameran Belser reached and later scored on a sacrifice fly from
Tory Huddleston to open the scoring.
Matthew Rivers came home on a passed ball, and
Robert Gage followed by scoring after working a walk and advancing on a hit-by-pitch sequence.
Jonathan Phillips added pressure on the bases, stealing second, while
Emile Butler delivered a two-run single to plate both Phillips and Gage.
Gavin Rehorn capped the inning with an RBI single to bring home Butler for a 6-0 advantage.
Stillman added on in the second when Huddleston scored after advancing on a single by Gage and a wild pitch, extending the lead to 7-0.
Rust answered with a run in the third, but Stillman quickly responded as Rehorn tripled and later scored on Belser's RBI groundout.
Davion Wilkins followed with a solo home run to push the margin to 9-1.
The Tigers broke the game open again in the fourth with a four-run frame. Rehorn scored on a Belser RBI single, and Sincere Ford came around after swiping second and third. Wilkins added a two-run single later in the inning, scoring both himself on an error sequence and Belser to make it 13-1.
Stillman continued to apply pressure in the fifth as Huddleston singled, stole second, and moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring on an error.
Javian Rives later crossed on a wild pitch, and Rehorn added another run-scoring single to plate Ford, stretching the lead to 16-1.
The Tigers closed the scoring in the sixth with five more runs. Rivers reached and scored on an RBI double from Butler, who later came home on a double by
Daniel Salter. Ford added an RBI single, Rehorn scored on a wild pitch, and Belser capped the outburst with an RBI double before Wilkins drove in the final run of the game with a single.
On the mound,
John Roland turned in a dominant complete-game effort, allowing just two hits and one run while striking out six to earn the win.
Game 2 - Stillman 18, Rust 10
In the first inning, Belser walked and eventually scored, while Wilkins crossed the plate on an error, and
John Roland drove in a run with a single to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead.
The Tigers added two more in the second as Roland delivered an RBI single to score
Robert Gage, and
Cameron Sipp followed with an RBI single to bring in Roland, making it 5-1.
Stillman extended the lead in the third with a three-run rally. After Belser reached and advanced, Gage scored on a wild pitch. Roland added a sacrifice fly to bring home Wilkins, and Gage later scored again on another wild pitch to push the lead to 8-1.
Rust mounted a comeback with five runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth to briefly close the gap, but Stillman answered with a decisive sixth inning.
Wilkins walked and later scored on a two-run single by Gage. Roland followed with an RBI double, and Sipp added another run-scoring hit. Rives drove in a run with a single, Butler added an RBI hit, and Wilkins capped the inning with a two-run single as Stillman plated six runs to take control at 18-10.
Jonathan Phillips earned the win, tossing 4.2 innings and allowing six runs while striking out four.
Tristen Henry and
Zack Munger combined to close out the final frames.
Up Next:
Stillman and Rust meet at 1 p.m. to conclude the HBCUAC series.
