Batchelor's blast keeps Russellville in hunt for playoff appearance

By Staff
Scot Beard
John Batchelor had one thing on his mind when he stepped into the batters box in the bottom of the seventh inning with Russellville’s playoff hopes on the line and the Golden Tigers down by two runs.
He did not want to swing at a bad pitch.
He did, only it was a bad pitch from Muscle Shoals’ point of view.
Batchelor crushed the ball for a 3-run home run to give Russellville a much-needed win in area play.
“He threw a change up and left it up a little,” Batchelor said. “I put a good swing on it.”
With the homer, his first of the season, Batchelor helped the Golden Tigers improve to 2-3 in area play. A win by Russellville Tuesday would give the Golden Tigers and the Trojans a 3-3 area record, but Russellville would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Russellville also holds a tiebreaker against Hartselle.
Tuesday’s game concluded too late to be included in today’s edition of the Franklin County Times.
Muscle Shoals threatened early by loading the bases with two outs during the second inning, but Russellville’s Ryan Bowling got the next Trojan batter to fly out to get out of the jam.
“I wasn’t at my best,” Bowling said. “I tried to throw strikes and get ground balls or fly balls to give my defense easy plays.”
The Trojans struck for a run in the third inning, but the Golden Tigers tied the game in the bottom half of the inning when Batchelor drew a bases-loaded walk to score Mitch Mitchell.
Muscle Shoals reclaimed the lead in the fourth inning and then held Russellville’s bats in check until the sixth inning when the Golden Tigers loaded the bases with no outs.
Russellville was unable to tie the game as Casey Herring and Matthew Duncan struck out before Mitchell was called out on a defensive interference call.
Russellville coach David Ward said the batters have to do better in situations like that.
“We got two strike outs in a critical situation,” Ward said.
Muscle Shoals added an insurance run in the top of the seventh.
Things did not look good for Russellville as the top of the line up was due to bat. The top three hitters had been retired in seven of nine trips to the plate during the game.
T.J. Lindsey and Jake Ward drew walks before Nathan Vincent popped out to set up Batchelor’s late-inning heroics.
“We came in and had the top of the line up,” Bowling said. “I knew there was no way (Muscle Shoals) was going to beat us with our one, two, three and four hitters due up.”
Batchelor led the Golden Tigers with the homer and a single while Vincent, Jonas Boyles and Duncan had one single each.
Bowling pitched seven innings to earn the victory for Russellville. He gave up seven hits and struck out five.
“That was such a good game it could have gone either way,” David Ward said. “John was due for a home run and he couldn’t have hit it at a better time.”