TIFTON — Tift County’s Blue Devils broke out of their shutout streak in a big way Tuesday.

Down 9-0 in the top of the sixth inning, the Devils struck for three runs, then added eight more in the seventh for a wild 11-10 victory at Veterans High in Kathleen.

Tift had been held scoreless over their previous three games and a period of 27 innings before Keshaun Mays singled to right field to drive in Thad Weldon, opening the floodgates.

Unfortunately, head coach Kyle Kirk had to miss the action because of his ejection against Lowndes last week. He said he kept up on GameChanger and when the comeback began, Kirk said he looked at his wife, Jessica, and said, “Crazy things are going to happen.”

After Mays’ single, Mason Avant drove in Will Weeks on a hit. Mays made the score 9-3 when he came home on an error.

In the seventh, Weldon doubled in Reece Watson to start the scoring parade. Mays drove in Keenan Webb and Weldon on a base hit, Ben Brock singled in Weeks and Mays scored on Avant’s single.

Down 9-8, Tift tied it on Watson’s hit, then took an 11-9 lead on a double by Webb that scored Blake Webb and Watson.

Anthony Brey pitched three scoreless innings of relief to earn the win. Cory Frazier picked up the save.

Kirk credited his assistants with their work with the squad while he sat out.

“Coach (Jean) Guzman, Coach (Phil) Salter kept things going,” he said. Of course, he was equally proud of his players. “The boys did a great job,” he said.

Tuesday’s Veterans game was eerily reminiscent of another Tift County comeback.

In 2014, the Devils trailed 13-4 at the end of the sixth inning, then scored 10 runs in the bottom of the seventh to win. That victim was also Veterans.

The Blue Devils fell at Thomas County Central Wednesday, 10-4. The score was 5-4 in favor of TCC going into the bottom of the sixth.

Mays drove in three of Tift’s runs. He is the Devils’ leading hitter, carrying a .466 average. Avant is close behind at .457. Mays also leads the team in runs batted in.

“The bats are starting to heat up,” said Kirk.

Tift will put its offense on the line this afternoon at Colquitt County for a doubleheader that begins at 4:30 p.m. The Packers are 9-5, 3-1 in Region 1 competition.

Kirk said Colquitt has a three-man pitching rotation and one of the best shortstops in the state in Gavin Patel. Colquitt swept Camden last weekend, winning 5-4 and 8-1 games at home.

Following Colquitt, the Devils play at Ware County Monday evening. Their next home games won’t be until April 6 against Camden County, when Tift starts the second half of the region schedule.