Straughn’s Lane Sirmon threw six shutout innings to help the Tigers down Andalusia 7-3 Thursday night in Andalusia.

 

 

 

Brayden Burkhardt started the game on the mound for the Bulldogs, and looked strong from the start getting the first two Tigers of the contest to strike out.

 

 

 

Ethan Wilson followed with a two-out single, but Burkhardt got a fly out to end the top of the first.

 

 

 

AHS got two runners in the bottom of the first off hit-by-pitches, but couldn’t get a run across.

 

 

 

Barrett Bush led off for the Tigers in top of the third with a double, and moved to third on a bunt from Sirmon.

 

 

 

Brock Hammett grounded out to Burkhardt, but Bush came across for the first run of the contest.

 

 

 

Sirmon scored on an error to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead, and Riley Eiland drove in Shane Jones with a single.

 

 

 

Matt Worley scored on an error to give the Tigers a 4-0 lead in the top of the third.

 

 

 

In the bottom of the third, Riley Graham singled for the Bulldogs’ first hit of the contest.

 

 

 

Wilson extended the Tigers’ lead to 5-0 with a triple in the top of the fourth that brought Hammett around to score.

 

 

 

Jones drove in Wilson with a fielder’s choice to put the Tigers up 6-0.

 

 

 

The Tigers’ final run came in the top of the seventh when Ty Ballard drove in Worley with a sacrifice fly.

 

 

 

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Bulldogs finally broke onto the scoreboard.

 

 

 

Graham doubled home Nathan Langley, and moved Devan McDuffie down to third.

 

 

 

Todd Wright plated McDuffie and Graham with a single for the final run.

 

 

 

“Coming over here and winning is big,” Tigers’ head coach Jim Bedsole said. “Andalusia is a good team. Coach Dent has done a great job with those kids, and Burkhardt pitched well tonight. We just hit the ball better than we have all season. We had a couple of base running mistakes that led to us scoring some runs, but it takes things like that to make a playoff run.”

 

 

 

Wilson and Eiland each went 2-for-4 at the plate, and Worley scored two runs to lead the Tigers.

 

 

 

Sirmon picked up the win on the mound, and struck out three Bulldogs in the process.

 

 

 

“Lane Sirmon is a senior and he pitched his tail off tonight,” Bedsole said. “I know he wanted to stay in there and get that final out, but sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture and not just what is right in front of you.”

 

 

 

Graham led the Bulldogs going 3-for-4 at the plate, and Wright ended with two RBIs in the game.

 

 

 

The Bulldogs and Tigers will be back in action tomorrow night in Straughn for doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m.