By John Goolsby, For the Tribune
IRONDALE – Shades Valley (5-3) avenged an early season loss to the Wetumpka Indians (5-4) with a 7-6 victory Monday night.
“This is the day you get your lick back,” was the message from Shades Valley Head Coach Darryl Dunbar to his team Monday night.
The Mounties won the game in dramatic fashion. With the game tied at 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Jacob Mahand hit a game-winning RBI to score Jacaryous Burrow.
The Indians got on the board first with a run in the first inning on an error. Valley tied the game on an RBI by Mahand that scored Burrow. Mahand then scored on an error to give the Mounties a 2-1 lead after one inning.
In the third inning, Wetumpka tied the score on another Mountie error. The Mounties then went up by two runs, 4-2, on a second Indian error that scored Burrow and Avery Prichard.
The fourth inning saw Wetumpka add two runs on two RBIs, and Valley’s Izzy Davis scored on yet another error by the visiting team. The Mounties led 5-4 as the two teams headed to the fifth inning.
The Mounties, with two men on in the bottom of the fifth inning, were threatening to extend their lead, but the Indians turned a nifty double-play to keep the game a one-run affair.
Wetumpka then put two quick runs on the board in the top of the sixth inning to take a 6-5 lead. With one out, Prichard came on in relief of Steven Manley. The Indians were retired after an infield pop fly and a strikeout by Prichard. The Mounties tied the game at 6-6 after Timothy Nelson scored on a wild pitch.
Prichard kept the Indians off the board with a po fly and two strikeouts in the top of the seventh to set the Mounties up for the exciting finish.
Manley got the win for the Mounties. The right-hander threw 90 pitches in five and a third innings, allowed six runs, seven hits, and had five strikeouts. Prichard threw 28 pitches in relief and didn’t allow a hit or run.
The Mounties had six hits on the night and Wetumpka had seven. Prichard went 2-for-3 at the plate, Burrow scored three runs and Mahand had two RBIs, including the game winner.
The Mounties travel to Jackson-Olin Tuesday night.