Bucs Drop 1-Run Game to No. 1 Ranked Jones

TUSCALOOSA - No. 23 Shelton State Community College baseball team dropped a 5-4 game to No. 1 ranked Jones College in the opener of a three-game series Friday night. 

The Bobcats (14-4) scored four runs in the first inning and held off the Bucs in the final four innings for the win.

Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Bucs put the first two runners on base with no outs.

Freshman left fielder Jarret Scott reached on an infield hit and sophomore third baseman Slade Sullivan walked.

Sophomore right fielder John Robicheaux was called on to bunt, but Jones pitcher Colton Smith fielded the bunt and threw out Scott at third base. 

Freshman second baseman Mac Graham was hit by a pitch to lead the bases. 

Smith bounced back and struck out freshman shortstop Griffin Rardin and freshman center fielder Owen Anchors to end the inning.

Jones added a run in the top of the eighth inning on an RBI triple by Chase Russell to push the lead to 5-3. 

Shelton State (6-6) threatened again in the bottom of the eighth inning. 

Sophomore Jackson Henderson smacked a leadoff single to right and freshman Glavine Lamberth delivered a one-out pinch-hit single to out runners on first at second. Freshman Drew Ollis pinch ran for Lamberth at first base. 

Scott then ripped a double to deep right field, narrowly missing a three-run home run. Henderson scored on the play, but Ollis was thrown out at home on a perfect relay throw from second baseman Kelen Guidry. 

With the tying run on second, Caden Freeman came in and struck out Sullivan to end the inning. 

Freeman, who led all NJCAA Division II pitchers with nine saves last year, retired the Bucs in order in the ninth for his first save of 2026.

Smith (6-0) worked 7 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts for the win. He allowed four (3 ER) and eight hits.

Jones began the game with four straight hits in the first inning off Shelton State starter sophomore Gunner Dodd.

Russell and Sanders Ainsworth both had RBI singles and the Bobcats plated two more runs on a throwing error.

After the first inning, Dodd (0-2) settled in and allowed only one more hit in his six innings of work with a career-high nine strikeouts. 

The Bucs got two runs back in the bottom of the first on back-to-back doubles by Rardin and Anchors, and a ground out by sophomore first baseman James Graphos.

Shelton State made it 4-3 in the sixth when Anchors tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Graphos.

The series continues on Saturday, Feb. 28 with a double header at Noon. The first game will be nine innings, followed by a seven inning game.