CULLMAN – It was a hard fought victory for Cullman Saturday afternoon as they were able to top a tough Oxford team by the final of 8-5.
Cullman looked like they were going to cruise into the semifinals when they hung four big runs on the board in the first. Kolby Robinson and Levi Thomas led off the game with back-to-back walks. Slugger Owen Lovell quickly brought in Robinson when he blasted a single to left center. Noah Fondren brought Thomas home with a single of his own to put the Cats on top 2-0, but they were not done. Jacob Heatherly would smash a booming double to the wall to bring home Lovell, and two batters later Wheeler Eastman hit a sacrifice fly to score Fondren and give Cullman a comfortable 4-0 lead after one inning of play.
Oxford dented the run column in the second inning when Jacob Sears drew a walk and Brennan McCullough brought him home with a double. Two innings later the Yellow Jackets would tie the game on a pair of Cullman miscues and a hit batsman. Brody Syer would give Oxford their first (and only) lead of the game with an RBI ground out that scored Derek Miller who had singled, moved up on a sac bunt and raced to third on a passed ball.
Cullman did not take kindly to being down as they roared back in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead, a lead that they would not relinquish. Lovell and Fondren led off the inning with back-to-back singles and Heatherly would walk to load the bases. Carter Bowen and Eastman would both productively ground out, picking up an RBI each. Caleb Lipsey would follow with a two-out single to score Heatherly and put the Cats on top for good, 7-5.
Fondren would pick up an insurance run for the Cats as he laid down a perfectly placed squeeze bunt in the bottom of the sixth that scored Thomas, who had singled earlier in the inning. Will Morrison would take care of the Yellow Jackets in the top of the seventh to seal the win.
And just like that, the Bearcats advance to the 6A state semifinals at Southside-Gadsden on Friday. Stay connected to cullmansense.com, the Cullman Tribune and follow us on Twitter @CS_SportsEditor and @cullmansense for game time and live updates from the field.
