The Northwest-Shoals Community College Patriots have been busy on the baseball field during the fall.

NW-SCC is working hard to prepare for the 2023 regular season and the return of the program with practices and games. The Patriots recently went to the University of North Alabama and split a double header with the Lions before taking the field at Russellville High School the following day for contests versus the Black Sox travel ball organization and 33’s Baseball from the Birmingham area.

Northwest-Shoals faced the 33’s in a close seven-inning contest that finished in a 4-4 tie. The Patriots rallied from a 4-1 deficit with three runs in the top half of the exciting final frame to even the score.

Former Russellville standouts Samuel Pace and Emitt Green combined to do the pitching for the Patriots against the 33’s. Pace got the start and went three innings before Green came on in relief and worked a scoreless final four innings.

NW-SCC got on the board to start the contest with a run in the top of the first inning. Garrett Day smacked a lead-off double and later scored on a wild pitch.

In the seventh inning for the Patriots, Caleb Davis drew a bases-loaded RBI walk, Waylon Farr from Scottsboro picked up an RBI ground-out to make the score 4-3 and former Russellville Golden Tiger Nick Smith drove in the tying run with an RBI single with two outs.

“We’re progressing and getting better,” said Northwest-Shoals head coach David Langston. “We’re seeing guys mature and grow up. When I say that, I’m referencing just in what college baseball is like – kind of maturing and becoming college players. It’s been good, and it’s been a fun group, and there’s a lot of excitement.”