Lions use squeeze play to earn a split with Northwest Shoals:
GDW Analysis:
HANCEVILLE: A trademark of Wallace State baseball through 35 years with Randy Putman at the helm, has been the execution of a squeeze play.
It worked well Thursday evening in Game 2 of their twinbill vs. Northwest Shoals at James C. Bailey Stadium.
Tucker Burns laid down a bunt good enough to get Jamie Howze in with the go ahead run in the 8th. The Lions managed to stop the Patriots in the 9th, take a 7 to 6 victory and split the series after Shoals romped in the opener 13 to 2.
With the win by the Lions and Chattahoochee Valley and Calhoun suffering defeats, Wallace is qualified for the ACCC Tournament the week of May 6 at Choccolocco Park in Oxford.
The Lions have 17 wins & 13 losses, 6th in the standings.
Shelton leads the conference at 23 & 7 with Snead a game back at 22 & 8, Northwest Shoals and Coastal South are tied for 3rd at 20 & 10.
Southern Union is ahead of the Lions with an 18 & 10 record.
Six games remain in the conference regular season with the Lions to visit Northwest Shoals Saturday and finish up the schedule next week with 4 against Calhoun, the last two at Bailey Stadium.
In the nightcap, the Lions were down 4 to 0 when they came to the plate in their half of the 5th.
Four walks and three hits, a 2 run single from Jacob Fernandez, Juan Pablo Morales with an RBI single and bases loaded walks to Raul Diaz and Jamie Howze sent the Lions in front.
Northwest Shoals took advantage of a Lions' error in the 6th, scoring twice and going back in front at 6 to 5.
In the Wallace 7th, Nash Rippen slapped a double to left scoring Casen Heaps who led off the inning with a single. The game was once again, even with the score now 6 to 6.
The Lions tallied the go ahead run in the 8th when Howze got hit by a pitch, Fernandez walked, a sac bunt by Morles resulted in him being safe when the Patriots dropped the ball at 1st base.
After a strikeout, Burns showed his skills on dropping down a bunt deep enough to send in Howze and the Lions were on top goibg to the 9th.
Shoals got a base hit and had the tying run reach 3rd. But the Lions fought off the Patriots as reliever Mitchell Rhodes struck out two in the 9th, the final on a called strike to end the game at 7:56 p.m.
Game 2 of this matchup was played in 3 hours, 26 minutes, matching the time the Lions needed to beat Snead at home on March 10 by the score of 10 to 9.
Putman's Lions, going through a rash of injuries this season, have shown toughness in winning 12 of 16 conference games at home. No conference opponent has swept Wallace State at the Jake.
Shoals was in the opportunity after they took the first game by scoring 4 in the 3rd to snap a scoreless tie and break it open with 7 runs in the 6th, ending the game in the bottom of the inning by the 10 run rule.
The Lions have 22 wins on the season against 27 losses.
Northwest Shoals dropped to 32 & 18 overall following the split.
Shelton has the most wins overall at 34 against 16 losses.
Photo of Wallace State SS Tucker Burns in a game vs. Shelton April 4 at James C. Bailey Stadium.
Photo courtesy of WSCC Media Relations.
