Mudcats take tourney crown: Local squad rolls in finals
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The Mudcats, a 14-and-under traveling baseball team made up of several members of this year’s Warren County Middle School squad, have amassed a 14-8 record thus far this summer, and brought home some heavy hardware with a victory in the East Tennessee Baseball Blowout last weekend in Jefferson City.
Using a strong opening inning, the Mudcats got off to a quick start in the championship game, an eventual 14-4 win over the Capital City Cougars of South Carolina.
Six runs on three hits and two walks got things going in the Mudcat first, as the first six batters Middle Tennessee sent to the plate reached base.
Capitol City countered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, but the Mudcats went up 8-2 with two runs in the third, and held a 9-3 advantage through six innings before blowing the game open even wider with a five-run seventh.
Joshua Bratcher went 3-for-3 with two runs scored in the championship game, while Colby Killian and Jordan Underhill were each 2-for-3. Jacob Bratcher and Steven Ehrhardt each went 2-for-4, while Brooks Majors, Jevon Ramsey and Coty Grissom also had hits to support winning pitcher Joshua Paz.
The championship game allowed the Mudcats to bounce back from a tough Saturday afternoon loss to the Hendersonville Hornets.
Majors and Jacob Bratcher had two hits each, but it wasn’t enough as the Hornets took a 10-3 win.
Earlier Saturday, however, it was the Mudcats who provided the offensive fireworks, winning 12-0 over the Dunwoody Tigers. Majors went 2-for-2 in that contest with two runs scored, and led off the second inning with a solo home run.
Jacob Bratcher was 3-for-4 with three runs scored, while Josh Bratcher and Ramsey each went 2-for-2 and scored a run. Bratcher also picked up the win on the pitcher’s mound.
Jordan Powers and Jordan Underhill both went 2-for-4 in the Mudcats’ slugfest, while Ehrhardt and Cantrell both added base hits to the winning tallies.
The Mudcats opened the tournament with a 10-7 win over the Thunderbacks, countering a big Thunderback fourth with a seven-run fifth inning to put the game out of reach.
Coty Grissom started the game, working the first five innings, and the Mudcats held a 3-1 lead until the Thunderbacks struck for six hits and six runs in the top of the fourth.
But Middle Tennessee came right back in the fifth, as a hit batsman and three straight walks set the table for a big hit from Jacob Bratcher.
A pair of errors and two more Mudcat hits resulted in seven runs and the eventual margin of victory.
Ramsey and Josh Bratcher had two hits each in the win, while Killian, Powers, Paz and Cantrell also had base hits.
The Mudcats will be heading to Euclid, Ohio, for the CABA World Series July 19-28, having earned a berth in the tournament by virtue of their second-place finish in the Nursery City Classic Memorial Day weekend.
Anyone wishing to make a donation to the team, to help pay for the expenses of sending the squad to the world series, is encouraged to contact coach Chris Parker or any of the Mudcats’ boosters.
PHOTO INFO
The Middle Tennessee Mudcats, a summer league baseball team made up of members of this spring’s Warren County Middle School squad, recently captured first place at the East Tennessee Baseball Blowout tournament in Jefferson City. Pictured are, front row, from left, Jordan Underhill, Jacob Bratcher, Coty Grissom, Nick Cantrell and Josh Bratcher. Second row, Steven Ehrhardt, Josh Paz, Brooks Majors, coach Chris Parker, Jevon Ramsey, Colby Killian and Jordan Powers. Not pictured are assistant coaches Kevin Burnett, Tim Majors and Travis Wilson. (Rob Nunley photo)