By By BRUCE HIXON – Sports Editor
Josey Brown has not been with the W.S. Neal Blue Eagles baseball program for long, but the junior transfer lefthanded pitcher has wasted no time making an impact.
Brown tossed a five-inning no-hitter with six strikeouts in Friday's 10-0 game two victory over the visiting Red Level Tigers. It was Brown's third victory in W.S. Neal's fourth game.
Earlier in the day W.S. Neal also captured the front end of the twinbill with an 8-3 victory in game one.
Junior first baseman Jared Cooper sparked the Blue Eagles (4-0) to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, which also included an RBI single by Jacob Cannon, with a two-run double.
After Red Level pulled within 4-1 in the top of the third, Eric Howell gave the Blue Eagles some more breathing room in the bottom half of the third with a two-run single. Cooper then made it 8-1 one inning later when he stroked a two-run single.
Whitney Qualls went the distance on a four-hitter and struck out 11 for the win.
Justin Smith and Cooper made Brown's no-hit bid a lot easier in game two with plenty of offensive support.
Smith belted two three-run homers, the first of which came in a four-run second inning and the other one inning later in a four-run third. Smith also had a first inning double and scored the Blue Eagles first run.
Meanwhile Cooper picked up his third and fourth hits of the day and his fifth and sixth RBIs with two of each in game two.
W.S. Neal is off until Friday when it opens up Class 3A Area 1 play with a 4 p.m. doubleheader at Straughn.
Game one
Red Level 001 002 0 – 3 4 1
W.S. Neal 402 200 X – 8 7 1
Game two
Red Level 000 00 – 0 0 2
W.S. Neal 144 01 – 10 11 0
Eagles stun Blacksher
The Blue Eagles opened the home portion of their campaign with a stunning 7-6, come-from-behind win over the J.U. Blacksher Bulldogs Tuesday.
J.U. Blacksher appeared to be in firm control of the game when it took a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning.
The momentum started to shift when an RBI single by Josh Danley and a two-run single by Whitney Qualls trimmed the Bulldogs' advantage to 6-5.
W.S. Neal coach Coy Campbell pulled a rabbit out of the hat in the bottom of the seventh inning when he gave pinch-hitter Tyler Nall his first varsity at-bat. Nall gave Campbell and his teammates probably more than they could have asked for when he belted a game-tying homerun.
and neither will I,” Campbell said.
The Blue Eagles were not done yet, as Jacob Canon walked and moved into scoring position when Jimmie Jones singled. Justin Smith followed with a liner to shortstop that was misplayed and the error allowed Cannon to cross the plate with the game-winning run.
For the second game in a row, reliever Josey Brown worked the final two innings to get the win.
At W.S. Neal
JU Blacksher 103 101 0 – 6 9 4
W.S. Neal 200 003 2 – 7 6 3