SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. – The Shelbyville Central Golden Eagles (4-1) suffered their first defeat of the season in a rematch with the Murfreesboro Central Magnet Tigers (2-3) at home on Tuesday night, 4-2.

The two teams combined for just three hits all night in what was an incredible pitching duel between two aces in Stephen Bobo and John Roth. Shelbyville worked seven walks as a team on the night, but just couldn’t get that one hit to drive home runners, ending the game with 10 runners stranded.

Stephen Bobo, the sophomore lefty, threw 5.0 innings and gave up just one base hit. However, both runs Central Magnet scored against Bobo were unearned thanks to three costly errors by the Golden Eagles’ defense. Bobo’s fastball peaked at 89 mph while hovering between 84-88 mph for the majority of the night. He was also able to throw his slider for strikes, and Bobo finished his outing with nine strikeouts to three walks on 91 pitches. He stranded three runners for Central Magnet to close the fifth inning with his ninth strikeout of the night to keep the Golden Eagles within one run.

Brody Thomas recorded three strikeouts in the sixth inning on 15 pitches, but he was forced to exit the game after being hit by a pitch on his left hand in the home half of the sixth. Caden Duggan came on in the top of the seventh, recording the Tigers’ final three outs, but not before Central Magnet tacked on a pair of go-ahead runs on one hit and a walk despite Duggan striking out two on 21 pitches.

The Tigers’ ace, John Roth, threw 4.0 innings, allowing just one earned run on a wild pitch, a single base hit, and a pair of walks while striking out five batters on 67 pitches. Braylon Dowell came on in relief to start the fifth inning, getting through 1.0 innings with one earned run given up despite allowing zero hits because of four walks. Dowell recorded all three of his outs via the strikeout on 40 pitches. Benson Reavis closed out the final two innings with a pair of zeros, striking out two batters and walking just one with no hits given up on 29 pitches.

After falling behind 2-0 going into the bottom of the fourth inning, the Golden Eagles were finally able to get on the board with runners on base. Eli Laye stepped up with runners on the corners and one out, seemingly lining an RBI-single into center. However, after discussion between the two umpires, Laye was forced to get back into the box due to time being called beforehand. On the very next pitch, Roth tossed a wild pitch that found its way to the backstop, allowing Palmer Edwards to score and cut the Tigers’ lead in half, 2-1. 

After Bobo got out of the bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth, he started a two-out rally by drawing a walk, eventually bringing up Brody Thomas with the bases loaded. Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, Dowell was able to get Thomas to chase a slider outside of the zone for the inning-ending strikeout. 

In the sixth, Lovvorn posted a quick 1-2-3 inning, and then the Golden Eagles found a way to eventually tie the game. Braxton Vari was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and then Eli Laye was also hit by  a pitch with two strikes, putting the go-ahead run on first base. Lovvorn then tried to lay down a bunt and move the runners over, but in a 2-0 count, Dowell’s pitch whacked Lovvorn on the hand. However, the home plate umpire ruled that he heard the ball hit the bat even though Lovvorn was forced to exit from the game with his left hand injured. Michael Estrada came in to hit for Lovvorn, and on the first pitch he saw he laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, flipping the lineup over and bringing up William Bobo. A sacrifice fly scored Vari to tie the game at 2-2. A Caden Duggan popout stranded the runner at third.

In the seventh, Duggan was forced to come on to pitch for the injured Lovvorn, and the leadoff batter, Jensen Spry, drew a leadoff walk. Another batter reached base for the Tigers, and then with their second hit of the entire night, Central Magnet found a two-out two-RBI single back up the middle from their ace pitcher, John Roth, to take the lead for good, 4-2. 

The Golden Eagles were unable to get anything going in the home half, ending their season-opening four-game winning streak. Shelbyville is scheduled to host Chapel Hill on Friday night with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m.