Jemison baseball overpowers Shelby County
Published 4:04 pm Tuesday, March 8, 2016
By Brandon Sumrall | Special to the Advertiser
The long ball was in play Monday night and aided the Jemison Panthers varsity baseball team in two wins over the Shelby County High School Wildcats, 19-3 and 13-3.
Logan Ray launched the night’s first bomb in the bottom of the third inning of Game 1 to extend the Panthers’ lead to 10, 13-3.
Jemison went on to score six more runs in the bottom of the fourth to close the game with the mercy rule.
The Wildcats jumped out to the early lead in Game 2, as Shelby County picked up three runs in the top of the first inning.
The Panthers answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first inning, as Phillip Lenoir got things started for Jemison with a single after two quick outs.
Ray was awarded first base after being hit by a pitch, and a single by Chase Deason loaded the bases for the Panthers with two outs.
Banks Woodley followed it up with a double that scored Lenoir and Ray to cut the Wildcats lead to one, 3-2.
A scoreless top of the second inning moved the game to the home half of the inning where Trae Sanders started things off for the Panthers with a triple to right field.
A Wildcats error off the bat of Matthew Ramsey allowed Sanders to score and set up a two-run shot by Will Lenoir, his first of the season.
Will Johns followed with a double, and Phillip Lenoir walked to put two aboard with no outs.
Johns scored on a passed ball, and Ray launched his second homer of the evening, and fourth of the season, to give Jemison an 8-3 lead.
Another scoreless inning by the Wildcats sent the game to the bottom of the third inning, where Phillip Lenoir joined the home run party by picking up his third of the season on a solo shot over the left field wall.
After three innings of play, the Panthers led 9-3.
A scoreless fourth inning and top of the fifth led to a leadoff single by Sanders to get things rolling for Jemison once again.
Sanders scored on a Lenoir double that came just inches from being his second homer run of the game, and a double by Johns later scored Lenoir.
The double trend continued with Phillip Lenoir, which scored Johns and a single by Ray brought home Lenoir to invoke the mercy rule and bring the game to an end.
Phillip Lenoir led the Panthers’ hitting just a triple shy of the cycle with a single, double, home run and two RBIs.
Ray pitched five innings for the Panthers, allowing three earned runs, five hits and four walks while striking out five.