Northwest-Shoals baseball opens ACCC play with six straight wins

By Michael Rice

NW-SCC Sports Info Intern 

The Northwest-Shoals Community College Patriots’ baseball team opened its Alabama Community College Conference season with six straight wins over Calhoun and Southern Union.  

The Patriots opened ACCC play with a doubleheader March 10 with two wins over Calhoun Community College. 

The Patriots won game one 4-1 after building an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. 

Michael Pfeiffer earned the win for the Patriots after pitching seven innings. Pfeiffer allowed five hits, one run and four walks and struck out six. 

At the plate, Taylor Bush went 2-3 and scored once. Alex Wilson went 1-3 with two runs scored. 

In game two, the Patriots grabbed the lead in the fifth inning and held on to win 5-4. 

Zach Hill went seven innings on the mound for the Patriots. Hill allowed six hits and four runs, walked two and struck out eight batters. 

Offensively, Caleb Davis went 3-3 with one run scored. Wilson went 1-3, and Bush 1-2, as each player had one run scored. 

The Patriots swept Calhoun in another doubleheader the following day, March 11. 

In game one, the Patriots defeated Calhoun 13-4 after taking an early 6-2 lead in the second inning. 

Bryce Sanders earned the win for the Patriots, pitching six innings, allowing four hits and four runs, walking three and striking out four.

Samuel Pace pitched one inning allowing no hits or runs and striking out two batters. 

At the plate, Wilson went 1-4 with two runs scored. Cade Prestegard went 2-4, and Eli Gipson went 3-4, scoring twice with three RBIs. 

In game two, the Patriots won 4-3. 

Ethan Muncher pitched three strong innings for NW-SCC, allowing five hits, one run and one walk and striking out three. 

Cason Henry pitched three innings, allowing five hits, one run and two strikeouts. Wilson went 1-3 with a run scored. Caleb Davis also went 1-3, scoring one run. 

March 14 the Patriots faced Birmingham Southern College’s JV squad. Coach David Langston’s team took a lead in the eighth inning when the Patriots scored two runs and held on to earn a 4-2 win. 

The Patriot pitching staff was busy as four pitchers – Prestegard, Muncher, Pace and Landon Leslie – threw one inning each.

Leslie earned the win for NW-SCC, and Jacob Little was on the mound for three strong innings.

The Patriots traveled to Wadley to face Southern Union State Community College in a doubleheader March 16. The Patriots defeated Southern Union in game one, 4-3, and won the nightcap 13-3 with a dominant offensive performance. 

In game one Pfeifer was on the mound for the Patriots for seven innings. He allowed seven hits and three runs and struck out two to earn the complete game win. 

At the plate, Wilson went 2-4, with one RBI. Cole Strachan went 2-3, scoring one run and driving in one. 

In the second game, Eli Gipson had four RBIs on three hits to lead the hit parade. Strachan went 2-3 with a first-inning RBI.

NW-SCC plated six runs in the second inning, led by RBIs from Wilson, Gipson, Prestegard and Drew McBurnett. 

The Patriots had 14 hits, with five players enjoying multi-hit games. Zach Hill started for the Patriots and threw one inning, allowing two runs. Pace came on in relief and threw four innings of two-hit baseball while giving up one run. 

For more information on Patriots baseball visit nwscc.edu/patriots-baseball.