Baseball - Roundup

CARY, N.C. — Cullman picked up a pair of wins during Thursday’s USA Baseball National High School Invitational.

The Class 6A No. 1 Bearcats (20-5) downed Brother Rice (IIl.) 7-3 in the first outing before besting Huntington Beach (Calif.) 6-2 in the nightcap to bounce back from a tough opening day at the annual showdown.

Weston Norton (three hits and one RBI), Owen Lovell (two hits and two RBIs), Levi Thomas (two hits) and Jacob Heatherly (one hit and two RBIs) put some solid swings together for the Black and Gold versus Brother Rice. Carter Bowen (RBI) and Noah Fondren (one hit) also had productive outings. Thomas (5 1/3 innings, seven hits, two earned runs and five strikeouts) earned the win on the mound.

Will Morrison shut down Huntington’s bats later in the day, allowing only two hits and two earned runs to go along with two strikeouts in seven strong innings.

Fondren (one hit and three RBIs), Caleb Lipsey (two hits), Lovell (two hits), Wheeler Eastman (one hit) and Grayson Taylor (one hit) all brought it offensively for Cullman.

The Bearcats will continue play on Friday.