OXFORD, Ala. – On a warm Saturday afternoon at Choccolocco Park the surging Lee baseball team collected 16 hits and advanced to the finals of the Gulf South Conference Championship by defeating rival Shorter University 11-6. Lee will face the winner of the other winner's bracket contest between West Florida and Valdosta State that was being played late Saturday evening. Sunday's game is slated to begin at approximately 5 p.m. EDT.
"Our offense gave us some timely hits today and some big innings against an always tough Shorter team," commented Lee Coach Mark Brew after his team improved to 28-23. "Riley Black, Brandon Daniels and Isaac Quinones had some big swings and many others contributed. Our infield defense was outstanding and helped us keep Shorter at bay. We will have another big challenge tomorrow, but our guys will be ready to fight."
The Flames jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning and never trailed. Daniels, Malachi Cloud, Black, Luke Hughes and Noah Hattier each collected singles in the inning. Black had an RBI and scored a run while Daniels and Cloud also crossed home plate.
Shorter rallied to tie the score at three after four innings but Lee quickly jumped back on top 4-3 in the fifth. Nate Bynum doubled and scored on a sac fly by Dylan Standifer. The margin reached 7-3 in the seventh. Quinones ripped a double down the left-field line that plated Daniels. Black promptly followed with a blast far over the right-field wall.
Shorter came battling back in the bottom of the seventh and cut the lead to 7-5 and added another run in the eighth to make it a one-run game. An excellent play prevented the contest from being tied. Daniels fielded Logan Stockton's double in right centerfield, fired the ball to Luke Hughes. The second baseman quickly relayed a strike to the catcher Quinones who tagged Shorter's Tyler McWillie out who was trying to score the tying run.
The Flames added four big insurance runs in the top of the ninth and completely put the game out of reach. Daniels homered. Cloud was hit by a pitch and Quinones followed with a two-run homer over the left-field fence. Black had his fourth hit of the afternoon and scored on an RBI single by Hughes. Hattier and Quinones had three hits apiece. Daniels and Black tallied three runs each.
Cameron Land started and pitched three innings for the Flames. He allowed three hits, three earned runs, three walks and struck out two. Sam Fulton (6-3) was the winning pitcher. He worked four innings of three-hit ball. He gave up two earned runs, fanned four and issued two free passes. Greyson Linderman faced two batters and allowed a hit and one earned run. Hunter Lane got the call for 1.1 innings. He surrendered one hit and struck out one. Defensively, Ashton Simmons and Hattier turned outstanding play to help end rallies by Shorter.
Stockton had a double and drove in three runs for the Hawks. Kobe Jones had a homerun, a single and knocked in two runs. Norman Leon had a two-base hit and a single, scored twice and stole six bases. Ethan Hawthorne (2-2) was the starting and losing Shorter pitcher. Before the afternoon ended, the Hawks had used six hurlers. Hawthorne pitched the first four and Coy Martin was the only other Shorter pitcher to work more than two innings.
