By Staff
from staff reports
Brewton Little League baseball opened its 2010 season Saturday, and Opening Day did not disappoint.
With the seven teams introduced in the two leagues (9-10 and 11-12 divisions), as well as the 2009 All-Star District 5 champions being recognized and their championship signs unveiled on the outfield fence, it provided the perfect backdrop to what promises to be another exciting season at the YMCA Sports Park.
And while Saturday’s games provided plenty of excitement, Monday provided two more exciting games in the 11-12 division.
In the first battle Monday, the Brewers withstood a furious late rally from the Tigers to win 8-4, before the Rockies staved off a bases-loaded threat in the bottom of the sixth to edge the Rangers 9-5.
In Monday’s only 9-10 matchup, the Braves defeated the Astros 18-6.
In Saturday’s Opening Day games, the Tigers pounded out 14 hits to defeat the Rangers 16-3. The Rockies overcame a 3-1 deficit with a grand slam home run from Hunter Brittain to edge the Brewers 6-3 in 11-12 play.
In the younger division, the Braves edged the Marlins 14-12 and then beat the Astros 6-2.
Rockies 9, Rangers 5
Trailing 9-5 in their last at-bat, the Rangers rallied to load the bases but were ultimately unable to cut into the deficit as the Rockies quelled the threat.
For the Rockies, Trippe Floyd finished his perfect night at the plate with a 4-for-4 performance that included a pair of doubles and five RBIs. Winn (two runs scored), Jake Najor (three runs scored), Hunter Brittain (2B) and Gehman added two hits apiece.
Alex Daugherty – who earned the save – added a triple and River Johnson had a hit as well.
The Rangers were led by Lane Clark’s 3-for-3 performance, while Landon Salter added two hits, including a double, and Christian Mancil a single.
Brewers 8, Tigers 4
Despite a brilliant pitching performance by Ethan Tyree, the Brewers had to withstand that furious 6th-inning rally by the Tigers to hang on for the win and even their record to 1-1. Tyree pitched 5 and two-thirds innings, giving up four hits, striking out six and walking just two. While his team jumped out to an 8-1 advantage, the Tigers tallied a three-run 6th inning and had runners on first and third before relief pitcher Brooks Brown induced a fly ball out to end the game.
The Brewers got off to a quick start when Jared Cooper hit the first pitch he saw for a two-run home run in the first inning.
He ended the night with two hits and three RBIs. Tyler Hoomes was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Tyree added two hits and an RBI. Brown had a hit and scored three times, while Dakota Stokes crushed an RBI double and Joshua Winton added a single and scored in the Brewers’ 9-hit attack.
The Tigers (1-1) were led by Jordan Williams, Will Smith, Duncan Brittain (RBI), Austin Holmes (RBI) and Markail Mitchell (RBI), all of whom recorded singles.
BRAVES 18, ASTROS 6
Russell Smith recorded six strikeouts in pitching a one-hit gem as the Braves won their opener over the Astros.
Smith helped his own cause at the plate, recording a perfect 3-for-3 night with a triple, and got plenty of support from Ryan Hooks’ five RBIs on a single and inside-the-park grand slam home run. Matthew Bradford added a double and single in the win.
The Astros got a double from Daniel Blair.
OPENING DAY (9-10)
Braves 14, Marlins 12
Matthew Bradford got the win on the mound and he got help at the plate from Ryan Hooks, who had a three-run single, as well as hits from Russell Smith and Logan Bush.
Matt Smith led the Marlins with a single.
Braves 6, Astros 2
Russell Smith and Donovan Weaver teamed up on the mound to notch the win.
The Braves got a double each from Steven McCall and Ryan Hooks, as Smith got the win with six strikeouts in three innings and gave up no hits.
OPENING DAY (11-12)
Rockies 6, Brewers 3
Playing from behind most of the game, the Rockies finally pulled ahead for good when Hunter Brittain stepped to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth and blasted a 1-2 pitch over the left-field fence for a grand slam home run that propelled the Rockies to the win.
Brittain’s blast overshadowed a brilliant pitching duel between his teammate Trippe Floyd and the Brewers’ Jared Cooper. Floyd fired a four-hitter, which included 10 strikeouts and just three walks. Cooper, who left the game in the fourth inning with a 3-1 lead, allowed just one hit and struck out 10.
Floyd led the Rockies at the plate with a pair of singles, while Brittain’s home run and Kellyn Winn’s single were the only other hits.
The Brewers got scattered singles by Brooks Brown, Dakota Stokes, Caleb Winton and Christian Alvarez, who also scored twice.
Tigers 16, Rangers 3
While the Rangers jumped out to an early lead thanks to a leadoff home run by Grant Youngblood, they failed to do more damage despite loading the bases in the first inning. The Tigers were able to get out of the jam and proceeded to pound out 14 hits to get the win.
Will Smith got the win for the Tigers, yielding just four hits and striking out five.
He was aided at the plate by Jonathan Lucas, Jordan Williams, Smith, Duncan Brittain, Austin Holmes, Ethan Bollenbacher, Stokes Jennings and Markail Mitchell.
Softball:
On Opening Day Saturday in Brewton, the YMCA girl’s Little League softball teams began play for the first ever season.
The Force went 2-1 in the 9- and 10-year-old league and the Thunder went 2-0. The Heat finished 0-3.
In the 11- and 12-year-old games, the Red Hots went 2-1 followed by the Riptide at 1-1 and the Racers at 1-2.
Force 7, Heat 6
The Force scored four runs in the first and three in the second and held on for a one-run win after the Heat scored four in the first and two in the second.
For the Force, Tiana Stallworth was 2-for-2 with one RBI and Leslie Holmes, Erin Wade, and Courtney Lisenby had hits for the Force.
For the Heat, Heather Spinks was 1-for-2 with one RBI and Shelby Evans was 1-for-1.
Thunder 9, Heat 3
The Thunder scored nine runs in the first inning and the Heat scored three as the Thunder won by six in the one inning game.
Elizabeth Pollitte was 1-for-1 and Jessica Day was 1-for-1 for the Thunder. For the Heat, Taylor Austin was 1-for-1.
Thunder 7, Force 2
The Thunder improved to 2-0 on opening day with a 7-2 win over the Force.
For the Thunder, Brittany Warren was 1-for-1 with a double and Natalie Clayton and Shanika Tinker were both 1-for-1 with RBIs each and Clayton having a double.
For the Force, Morgan Manning, Erin Wade, and Kassie King were 1-for-1.
Force 20, Heat 11
In a game that saw 31 combined runs, the Force defeated the Heat 20-11.
For the Force, Stallwoth was 1-for-3 with King and Courtney Lisenby was 1-for-2.
Red Hots 6, Racers 5
The Red Hots outscored the Racers by one run in the one inning game.
Steely Ruzic had one hit for the Red Hots and Moriah Brown was 1-for-1 with a triple for the Racers.
Red Hots 5, Riptide 4
The Red Hots defeated the Riptide 5-4 in 11- and 12-year-old softball.
The Red Hots won despite no hits. For the Riptide, Anna Kate Britton was 1-for-1.
Riptide 5, Racers 4
The Racers lost their second game by one run while the Riptide got their second win by one as they defeated the Racers 5-4.
For the Riptide, Tazure Thomas was 1-for-1 with an inside-the-park homerun and Tarah Townson was 1-for-1 with a triple.
The Racers’ Sarah Gerety was 1-for-1 along with Kaitlin Dees.
Racers 8, Red Hots 0
The Racers earned an 8-0 win over the Red Hots with a shutout.
For the Red Hots, Morgan Longmire was 1-for-1.
For the Racers, Brown was 1-for-3 with Desiree Lambert.