Tuscaloosa, Ala. — Colton Smith pitched 7 2/3 innings, leading No. 14 Jones to a 5-4 victory over No. 23 Shelton State in the opening game of a three-game series Friday night. The Bobcats have won four straight over the Buccaneers, all by one run.
Jones improved to 14-4, while Shelton State dropped to 6-6. The teams will conclude the series with a doubleheader Saturday starting at noon at Buc Palace.
The game started with a flurry of runs in the first inning, as Jones scored four runs on RBI singles from Chase Russell and Sanders Ainsworth, a fielder’s choice, and an error. Russell extended his hitting streak to 21 games and has reached base safely in 49 consecutive contests.
Shelton State responded with two runs in the bottom of the first on an RBI-double and an RBI-groundout, trimming the lead to 4-2. Smith settled in after that, retiring nine of 10 batters faced, while Gunner Dodd held Jones scoreless over six innings with nine strikeouts and no walks.
In the seventh, Shelton State loaded the bases trailing 4-3, but Smith struck out two batters to escape the jam. Russell’s RBI-triple in the eighth scored Talan Theriot after a hit-by-pitch, giving Jones a 5-3 lead. Jarret Scott’s RBI-double pulled Shelton State within one, 5-4, but Caden Freeman struck out the final batter to earn his first save of the year and the 10th of his career. Smith earned the win, improving to 6-0 this season with eight hits and nine strikeouts allowed.
