Shelton pounds Wallace to win ACCC Championship

After quickly scoring one run in the top of the second, Shelton State’s lead-off hitter connected for a grand slam to put the Bucs firmly in control. They built on that lead to take a commanding 22-6 win.

The victory earned the Bucs the ACCC Baseball Championship and a trip to the NJCAA World Series. For legendary coach Bobby Sprowl, it will mark his fifth trip to the World Series in his long career.

“I worked our guys really hard all year long,” Sprowl said. “I’ve probably worked them harder than any team I’ve ever had. But still, I didn’t expect two games like this against Wallace Dothan. They are a very good team and they could erupt for five runs at any time.”

But that big inning never came for the Govs. Sprowl said it never happened because “our pitchers did a really good job.”

And Sprowl credits the two lopsided wins against the Govs to one other thing.

“We caught them at a really good time,” Sprowl said. “We were really hot at the plate and were swinging the bats well.

Just a quick glance at the stats will tell the story of this game. Five different Wallace pitchers walked nine Shelton batters, hit two more, gave up 17 hits and the team as a whole committed five errors.

“We can’t play winning baseball like that,” Wallace coach Mackey Sasser said. “We just can’t walk a bunch of people and then give up a big hit. I basically relied on six guys all season and now everyone can see why.

“I want to congratulate Bobby and his team. They’ve got a very good team and they will represent the state well.”

After scoring those five runs in the second inning, the Bucs didn’t quit scoring until the eighth. Shelton scored eight runs in the third, three in the fourth, one in the fifth, three more in the sixth, and closed things out with one run in the seven.

Along the way, Carson Clowers hit a grand slam, Garrett McMillan hit a two-run homer and Colby Smelley hit a two-run blast. Smelley, who was named tournament MVP, went 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

Ty Hutto got the win for the Bucs, tossing 7 2/3 innings. Along the way he struck out eight and didn’t walk a single batter.

The Govs scored a single run in the first, two in the second and two more in the fourth. But that was all they could muster against Hutto. Diego Arredondo, who only lasted 2 1/3 innings, took the loss for the Govs.

Shelton now moves on the NJCAA World Series to represent Alabama. The tournament will be played in Grand Junction, Colo., from May 29 – June 6.