Selma sweeps Wilcox Central

Published 11:35 pm Saturday, March 21, 2009

Selma took advantage of Wilcox Central walks and errors to take both ends of Saturday’s doubleheader at Bloch Park.

Selma used a 13-run second inning to build on a 2-1 lead en route to a 20-5 win in three innings in game one. The Saints took the second game 10-6.

Richard Ghant reached on a fielder’s choice, and Darius Thigpen hit a single to set the plate for Jacoby Adams. Adams laced a triple to left field to score the pair and touched the plate after Anthony Blake reached on an error.

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Three singles, a double and another Jaguar error led to six more Selma runs to make it 11-1. That’s when the bottom fell out.

Jashambe Smith stole third base and scored on a dropped throw. Adams followed with a double that scored Thigpen and took the plate on two Jaguar errors. Rashawn Billingsley added a single and error that allowed him to take third base.

“The second inning was a good inning,” said Selma coach Warren Brown. “Guys were running the bases very well. We were able to manufacture runs.”

Billingsley didn’t score, but the play that put him on third was a fitting capsule of the Jaguars’ troubles.

“Too many errors. Way too many errors,” said Wilcox Central coach Reginald Powell. “We had more than eight errors. I stopped counting them in the third inning.”

The Jaguars answered by taking advantage of two walks and four passed balls to trim the deficit to 15-5.

But the Saints iced the game with a five-run third. Fittingly, Thigpen scored the winning run after a Torrey Moorer error allowed Adams to reach safely.

Much to Powell’s relief, the second half of the doubleheader proved to be a more positive experience for Wilcox Central.

The Jaguars overcame a 3-1 Selma lead to forge ahead 4-3. Wilcox Central scored one run in the second, then gave the Saints a taste of their own medicine in the third.

Sheldon Moton reached on a fielder’s choice and Terry Johnson followed with a walk.

After Moton took third, Johnson forced a throw at second that sailed into the outfield. Both runners scored on the error, and Wilcox Central retook the lead.

But, the high was short-lived. Selma answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning from Deion Daniel and Ghant to reclaim the lead.

Selma went ahead for good with three more runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it 8-4.

“We found our identity,” said Brown. “This game came out good. We hit the ball real well.”

The Jaguars closed the gap to 8-6 with two runs in the sixth inning, but they allowed the Saints’ final two runs on a fielding error and passed ball.