CULLMAN, Ala. – The Bearcats were back at Bill Shelton Field to open up area play against Decatur Thursday night, and they collected a pair of big wins over the Red Raiders. Cullman scored a couple late runs in game one to pull away and pick up a 2-1 win and in game two, a 3-run homer in the first gave the ‘Cats an early lead and they held on to defeat Decatur 5-4 and complete the Thursday night sweep.
Cullman 2 – Decatur 1 (Game One)
Hits and runs were tough to come by in this one. Both teams combined to put just four runners on base in the first three innings. The ‘Cats threatened to get on the board in the bottom of the fourth with singles by Kaleb Heatherly and Jack Stanford, but a strikeout stranded them at the corners and the game remained scoreless going into the fifth.
Decatur scored on a fielder’s choice to take a 1-0 lead in the top half of the fifth, but the Bearcats responded in their half of the inning. Zane Watwood drew a walk with two outs to reach first and Hunter Brooks singled up the middle to put runners on the corners. That’s when Heatherly ripped an RBI single into right field to things up at a 1 and just one pitch later, Brooks scored on an error to claim a 2-1 lead for the black and gold.
Stancil collected the final six outs over the next two innings to finish his complete game performance on the mound and secure a 2-1 area win for Cullman. Stancil allowed one unearned run on three hits and struck out eight batters in the win. Heatherly finished with a pair of hits and an RBI and Brooks and Stanford each posted a hit for the Bearcats as well.
Cullman 5 – Decatur 4 (Game Two)
The ‘Cats got off to a faster start in game two. Watwood drew a walk and Brooks was hit by a pitch to give Cullman a pair of baserunners in the bottom of the first and Stancil blasted a 3-run bomb to center field to make it a 3-0 game. Later in the inning, Cole Robertson drove an RBI single into left field to bring Jake Dueland home to score and stretched the lead to 4-0 going into the second.
A few walks and an error allowed the Red Raiders to cut into the lead and make it a 4-2 game in the top of the second inning, but the Bearcats were able to stop the bleeding and maintain a 2-run lead.
After a scoreless third and fourth inning, Decatur trimmed the lead to 4-3 with a sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth but the Bearcats added to their lead in the sixth. A leadoff single from Robertson and a sacrifice bunt by Easton Peed put a runner in scoring position and Cody Jones drilled an RBI single into right field to build the lead back up to 5-3 going into the final frame.
The Red Raiders added another run to cut the lead to one in the top of the seventh, but Jones collected the final three outs with strikeouts to secure a 5-4 win for the ‘Cats. Jones entered the game in the third inning and earned the win after tossing 4.2 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and striking out six.
Robertson (one RBI) posted a pair of hits in the win and Stancil drove in three runs with his homer in first. Paxton Ponder, Heatherly, Jones (one RBI) and Riley Jackson each recorded a hit as well.
Weather permitting, Cullman will be back in action Friday night at Hewitt-Trussville.
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