BRADENTON, Fla. – Two days of heartbreaking defeats ended for the Cullman Bearcats on Wednesday afternoon in the IMG Baseball Academy Classic.
Cullman used a 14-hit attack, getting it done with a six-run fourth inning to take down Jesuit High School 13-3 in a game that was called after the fifth due to the 10-run rule.
The No. 4 team in Alabama's 6A ranking had gone through a pair of one-run losses in the first two days of the classic.
Facing a California team that was also 0-2, the Bearcats went to work right off on hitting and scoring runs. Owen Lovell drilled his third home run of the tournament, a two-run blast that scored Kolby Robinson who led off the game with a single. Cullman had a 2-0 lead after half of the first was played.
The Marauders produced three hits against starter Kade Williams that tied the score at 2-2 after the first.
Cullman batted in the second and lit the scoreboard again. Carter Bowen singled and came in on a triple from Levi Thomas. Caleb Lipsey singled in Thomas and Lipsey was home moments later on a sacrifice fly to left by Lovell. It was Cullman 5, Jesuit 2.
A run by Jesuit in its half of the second closed the gap to 5-3. Then Williams kept the Marauders from scoring the rest of the ball game.
Lipsey produced another run batted in when he singled home Bowen during the third. The Bearcats had a 6-3 advantage with the offense ready to unload on Jesuit in the fourth.
The fourth started with a Robinson single, and he was on his way home after a triple from Lovell. Heatherly, a couple of batters later, ripped a single that got in Lovell and Eastman who walked. Now the 'Cats were ahead 9-3.
Cullman got a break when the Marauders mishandled Brent Price's pop-up in the infield, resulting in an error. That kept the inning alive and a run did score in the play to extend the advantage to 10-3.
After Noah Fondren was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Robinson smashed a single to right for two more runs and the good inning of the day was completed. Cullman got six runs on five hits and one costly Jesuit error. They held a 12-3 lead going to the bottom of the fourth.
Cullman's last run in the fifth scored on a fielder's choice by Bowen. Williams went to the mound in the last of the inning with a 13-3 cushion, needing three outs to end the game.
It didn't come easy. Williams gave up a couple of singles and a walk to put the bases loaded. But with two outs and after a conversation with coach Brent Patterson, Williams got the Marauders out when the batter popped to Bowen at second. Cullman breathed a sigh of relief among its enjoyment of tasting victory down in the Sunshine State.
Lowell drove in four runs thanks to his two-run homer, RBI triple and sac fly. Lipsey delivered two RBIs, as did Robinson and Heatherly.
Williams stranded five Jesuit runners in the last two innings, but got support from his defense with a double play and a ground out to end the fourth and the pop fly in the fifth with the bases loaded.
Cullman is now 21-6 and will play for fifth place Thursday at noon against the winner of the Mosley-IMG Academy game.
