The Shelbyville Central Golden Eagles rode some hot bats to an impressive 16-5 win on the road against the Murfreesboro Central Magnet Tigers on Monday.

Stephen Bobo took the win on the mound with a dominant four-inning performance, striking out six hitters with zero walks and only two hits. All three runs that scored with him pitching were unearned due to fielding errors; in fact,  all five runs that the Tigers scored were unearned. Shelbyville’s pitching staff, between Bobo and Carston Williams, combined to strike out 13 batters while only walking two and giving up only four hits across seven innings.

Central Magnet’s pitching staff ended up accumulating 13 strikeouts of their own, but they gave up 11 hits. Their fielders also accounted for four errors which led to four unearned runs, but the Golden Eagles still managed 12 earned runs.

The visitors were mostly held in check to start the game until the second inning. They were able to push across two runs, but the Tigers responded with a run of their own to keep within striking distance.

Shelbyville added two more runs in the fourth inning, but Central Magnet responded once again with a pair of runs themselves. Bobo was able to hold the hosts to just those two runs, putting his offense in a great position for the top of the fifth inning against the Tigers’ bullpen.

The Golden Eagles took full advantage of the pitching change. After only being able to muster up three hits through the first four innings, their bats exploded in the final three, accumulating eight hits that resulted in 12 total runs. 

Four runs in the fifth inning, five in the sixth, and three in the seventh countered the two unearned runs in the sixth inning surrendered to the Tigers while Williams was on the mound. In the end, Head Coach Chase Jones, coming off of a substate appearance last season, began his third year at the helm in Shelbyville with a dominant 16-5 win.

Nick Johnson (7) about to step on home plate after hitting his first home run of the season.

Third-baseman Nick Johnson led the Golden Eagles with three hits, including one homer and a triple, two walks, and five RBIs in five plate appearances. He also scored four of the five times he was on base. First-baseman Palmer Edwards and center-fielder William Bobo chipped in with two hits apiece, with Edwards driving in two runs while scoring twice, and Bobo drawing a walk while scoring three times. 

Murfreesboro Central Magnet falls to 0-1 while Shelbyville Central improves to 1-0. The Golden Eagles are scheduled to travel to Chapel Hill to take on the Forrest Rockets on Tuesday.

Shelbyville | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 16R | 11H | 3E |

Central Magnet | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |   5R  | 4H  | 4E |

WP: Stephen Bobo (1-0)

(4.0 IP, 2H, 6K, 0 BB, 3R, 0 ER)