Winning by the mercy rule has become a habit for Wallace Govs of late. It happened again Thursday afternoon against the LBW Saints. In game one of their doubleheader, Drew Shiver hit a two-RBI single to give the Govs an 11-1 win.

Game two was completely different. Not only did the Govs lose their streak of wins by the mercy rule, their seven-game winning streak also came to an end, LBW won game two 8-3.

So what was the difference in the two games?

"I think we just we got complacent," Wallace coach Ryan Ihle said. "I think we just expected to roll into another 10-run game. I could feel the energy just wasn't there. We scored one run in the first and we acted like it was 10 runs."

As for LBW coach Steve Helms, he said "I didn't think we competed very well in that first game. They out competed us. I didn't think we played LBW baseball with our grit and our toughness. So I challenged them. I told them if we didn't show LBW baseball they would be reminded when we got home tonight. It was not a threat. It was a promise."

Message received. After only getting two hits in the first game, the Saints came out swing ng the bats and hitting everything hard. Down 1-0 in the third inning, the Saints took the lead for good by scoring two runs. Streed Crooms knocked in the first run with his RBI single to right field. That plated Edward Hall who had also reached on a single. Crooms later scored on a bases loaded sacrifice fly from Ben Mosely.

From there the Saints just continued to add on. One run scored in the fourth inning on another RBI single from Mosely. A two-RBI single from Davison Stokes in the fifth gave the Saints a 5-1 lead.

The Govs crept a little closer in the bottom of the sixth when they tacked on two runs. RBI doubles from JT Thigpen and Payne Jeffcoat provided the runs. A third runner was thrown out at the plate. But the Govs had cut the lead to 5-3.

However any hopes of a Wallace comeback ended in the top of the seventh when the Saints tacked on three additional runs.

In the first game, the Govs went into the bottom of the sixth inning with an 8-1 lead. They needed to score three runs in order to end the game early—and they got them. Relief pitcher Easton Dean started the inning by giving up a double to Blake Wynn and walking Cason  Gleaton. Dean was then replaced by Mosely who waked Lawson Leger to load the bases. Jackson Cliatt was next and he was hit by a pitch to force in a run, and the bases were still loaded. Shiver unloaded them and ended the game with his line-drive single to left centerfield.

Before the sixth inning of this game, the Govs had scored three runs in the second inning, two in the fourth, and three runs in the fifth.

Once again, every player in the Wallace lineup reached base. Among those who continued their hot hitting streak were Shiver who went 3-for-3 in the game with a walk and three RBIs. Peyton Ryback was 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI. Anthony Zarzana was 2-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and four RBIs.

Starting pitcher Jake Middleton was not as sharp as he normally is, but he still pitched four scoreless innings. The only run given up by the Govs was a bases loaded walk by reliever Jakob (with a 'K') Lightsey.

The Govs still hold down the first place spot in the conference. The Govs and the Saints will complete their four game series this Saturday in Andalusia.