DUNLAP, Tenn. – The Shelbyville Central Golden Eagles (15-5, 1-3) went a perfect 4-0 in the Mountain Valley Classic on Friday and Saturday, beginning with a 3-1 win over Sequatchie County (8-7) before run-ruling Whitwell (13-7, 1-1), 13-3. On Saturday, Shelbyville run-ruled Marion County (10-10, 3-1), 15-0, before picking up a third-consecutive run-rule win, 14-2, over the Middle Tennessee Monarchs (11-14). 

In game one, Palmer Edwards was stellar on the mound, giving Shelbyville 6.0 innings of one-run (unearned) ball on six hits and one walk while striking out seven on 94 pitches. Braxton Vari came on to record the save in the seventh on 10 pitches despite issuing a walk.

Gunnar Nelson got the start for Sequatchie County, lasting 3.0 innings while giving up a pair of earned runs on five hits and two walks while tallying three strikeouts on 61 pitches. Holden Armstrong pitched the next 3.0 innings, giving up one unearned run on a single hit and one walk with two strikeouts on 32 pitches. Finally, Ryker Terry recorded the final three outs with a pair of strikeouts on 12 pitches. 

Shelbyville opened the top of the first inning with a pair of runs to take an early 2-0 lead. Leadoff man for the Golden Eagles, William Bobo, went 2-4 at the plate with a pair of singles, and he came around to score once. Caden Duggin finished 1-4, and Stephen Bobo batted 1-2 with one RBI and a walk with a run scored. Caden Peacock and Palmer Edwards both went 1-3 at the plate, and Edwards tallied the only other Golden Eagles’ RBI while Brody Lovvorn drew a walk and came around to score.

Sequatchie scratched across their only run of the game in the bottom of the third inning to cut the lead in half, 2-1, but the Golden Eagles tacked on an insurance run in the top of the fifth to extend the lead to 3-1 with nine out left. Shelbyville got those final nine outs without conceding a single run, securing the season sweep against Sequatchie County following their 15-3 win on March 29.

In game two, the Golden Eagles used a nine-run fifth inning to secure a run-rule victory against the Whitwell Tigers, 13-3, after five innings.

Brody Lovvorn started on the mound for Shelbyville, throwing 4.0 innings of shutout ball while only giving up a single hit while walking two batters and striking out two others on 54 pitches. Caden Duggin came on in relief to get the final three outs, giving up three unearned runs on no hits and a walk on 16 pitches.

For Whitwell, Brodie Harvey went 4.0 innings, giving up five earned runs on seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts on 65 pitches. Cayden Green came on in relief to try and stop the bleeding in the fifth inning, but he couldn’t record a single out, instead giving up four earned runs on two hits and two walks on 17 pitches. Talaan Beason came in to get a pair of outs while giving up four unearned runs on one hit and one walk on 20 pitches, and then finally Whitwell was able to get out of the inning when Bennett Goforth came in to record the final out despite giving up a hit on 11 pitches.

William Bobo continued his hot streak at the plate, going 3-4 with a trio of singles with two RBIs and one run scored. Reager Edwards was moved up to the two-hole, going 0-3 with a walk and a run scored while Stephen Bobo went 1-4 with two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. Braxton Vari and Michael Estrada each drove home a pair of runs with Vari going 1-4 at the plate and Estrada finishing 1-2 with a walk.

Whitwell only managed a single base hit on the night compared to 11 for the Golden Eagles, and Shelbyville got the scoring started with a pair of runs in the top of the second. After scoring two more in the top of the fourth, the Golden Eagles’ offense exploded for nine runs in the top of the fifth to take a commanding 13-0 lead in the fifth inning. The Tigers scratched across three runs in the home half, but they could not score another to prevent the run-rule. 

On Saturday, Shelbyville won their third game of the weekend with a 15-0 shellacking against Marion County after four innings. 

Michael Estrada threw three shutout innings while giving up just a single hit while striking out five batters on 31 pitches. Blake Bone threw the fourth inning, recording the final three outs on a single hit and two strikeouts on 16 pitches. 

Alex Barker got the start for the Warriors, but he was unable to record a single out after giving up six earned runs on just two hits and 23 pitches. Shelbyville batters were plunked seven times at the plate in total, and the Golden Eagles scored seven runs in the top of the first inning to take a 7-0 lead. 

Marion County relievers combined to give up nine runs with three earned in 4.0 innings on six hits, five walks, and four strikeouts. 

Neither team scored in the second before Shelbyville pushed across five more runs in the top of the third followed by a trio of runs in the top of the fourth to balloon their lead to 15-0. 

William Bobo recorded his first hitless game of the weekend, but he did reach base twice to come around to score both times. Caden Duggan, back in his two-hole spot, went 2-4 with a pair of RBIs while Stephen Bobo finished 2-3 at the plate with a pair of RBIs and  a double. Palmer Edwards and Ashton Whorley recorded two RBIs apiece, and Edwards was hit twice. Whorley recorded a base hit in his only at-bat. 

In the final game of the weekend against the Monarchs, Shelbyville used yet another nine-run inning to win their third-consecutive game via run-rule, 14-2 after four innings. 

Ashton Whorley got the start for the Golden Eagles, lasting 3.1 innings and giving up two unearned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out three batters on 55 pitches. Caden Duggin recorded the final two outs while walking a batter on 10 pitches.
Jacob Pelletier got the start on the mound for the Monarchs, throwing 3.0 innings and giving up 11 runs, seven earned, on eight hits and two walks while striking out three batters on 83 pitches. Noah Clark initially came on in relief, but he was unable to record a single out, giving up a pair of earned runs on two walks and nine pitches. Bishop Vines did finally close out the fourth inning, giving up just one earned run on two hits with two walks while striking out two batters on 27 pitches.

William Bobo made an emphatic statement to close out the weekend, going a perfect 4-4 at the plate with a triple, a pair of RBIs, and three runs scored. Reager Edwards went 1-3 with one RBI and two runs scored while Stepehen Bobo went 1-3 with a double, two RBIs, and a walk. Caden Peacock drove home three runs to lead the team, finishing 1-1 at the plate. Palmer Edwards finished 1-2 with a double and one RBI.

Shelbyville took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but then the Monarchs responded with a pair of unearned runs to take a 2-1 lead going into the second. Neither team scored in the second inning before Shelbyville plated four runs in the top of the third to take a 5-2 lead before exploding for nine runs in the top of the fourth to take a commanding 14-2 lead, triggering the run-rule after Shelbyville blanked the Monarchs in the home half to secure their 15th win of the season.

The Golden Eagles host Warren County on Monday as District 9-AAAA play resumes with first pitch scheduled for 6:00 p.m.