By By BRUCE HIXON – Sports Editor
One missed opportunity for a late-season accomplishment could cost the Jefferson Davis Community College baseball team another achievement.
JDCC's chances of a winning season took a huge hit Saturday when the Warhawks lost both ends of a doubleheader to the visiting Bishop State Wildcats by scores of 2-0 in the opener and 13-5 in game two.
The doubleheader loss dropped JDCC (18-25 overall and 4-16 in the Alabama Community College Conference south division) seven games below .500 with only 10 games left. The Warhawks have to win nine of those games in order to have a winning season.
JDCC had won the first three games of the series, which matched its longest winning streak of the season. Bishop State pitcher Mike Logan made sure the Warhawks would not set a season best in that area when he threw a two-hit shutout with eight strikeouts in the opening game.
"We didn't swing the bats very well, but Logan threw a great game," JDCC coach Darrell Blevins said.
Warhawks starter Bubba Mack and reliever Kyle Reed allowed just five hits, but three of those came in the top of the first inning when the Wildcats scored both their runs.
Alton Burns walked and Stewart Kelley singled. Although Kelley was wiped out on a steal attempt, Zack Mann picked up the Wildcats with an RBI triple. Craig Lehman's RBI single one batter later drove in Mann for the game's other run.
The only hits JDCC managed were a leadoff double by David Washington in the bottom of the fourth inning and a one-out single by Jordan Currid in the sixth.
The first inning by itself was not JDCC's downfall in game two, but the Warhawks dug another hole when they fell behind 3-0 in the opening inning in the nightcap. JDCC committed two key errors in that inning, and Bishop State also got RBI singles by Lehman and Matthew Sparks.
The third inning was probably the Warhawks downfall. Bishop State banged up seven hits and scored five runs, which bumped its lead up to 8-0.
JDCC got two of those runs back in the bottom of the third when an RBI double by Jake Bonds and an RBI single by Jesse Edwards made it 8-2.
The Warhawks were unable to shut down the Wildcats long enough for their offense to do further damage. Bishop State, which had 17 hits in game two, got those two runs back in the top of the fifth and three more in the seventh.
JDCC got a couple of late RBI singles by Steven Bingert, who led the Warhawks with three hits. Nathan Evans, who also had three hits, added an RBI double.
Adam Reed, who started and went the first two and two-thirds innings, took the loss.
The Warhawks, who began an ACCC series Tuesday against Enterprise-Ozark, will continue that series Thursday with a 1 p.m. nine-inning game at Enterprise-Ozark. JDCC is also on the road when the series concludes Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
Game one
Bishop State 200 000 0 – 2 5 1
JDCC 000 000 0 – 0 2 1
Game two
Bishop State 305 020 3 – 13 17 1
JDCC 002 012 0 – 5 10 4