Dr. Jones claims coach-pitch title: Season champs win again in tourney
After capturing the regular-season championship, Dr. Jones DDS battled to take the tournament title last Saturday in the Girls’ 7-8 year-old coach-pitch league.
In winning the title, Dr. Jones had to survive a pair of tough contests against Grissom’s Underground Utility, eventually taking the tournament with a 19-17 win in the championship.
Grissom’s, which was sent to the losers’ bracket of the league tourney by Dr. Jones just two days earlier, fought its way back to the title game and a rematch. Grissom’s won its second meeting with Dr. Jones 19-16, giving Jones its first loss of the tournament and setting up the title-deciding contest.
Dr. Jones struck quickly in the league’s final game of the season, slamming six runs on the board while sending 11 batters to the plate in the first. Tee Smith got thing started with a hit, and scored her team’s first run before being followed across the plate by Elizabeth Rhea, Bree Rutledge, Taylor Grissom, Emily Newman, Ali Young and Melonie Rush.
Grissom’s kept a steady — if somewhat slower — pace, however, plating a pair of runs in the first as Nicole Mullican and McKenzie Taylor scored. After Rutledge and Shelby Grissom came in for Jones in the second, Grissom’s countered with runs by Mullican, Taylor, Teran Turner and Hillary Teeters to cut Jones’ lead to 9-6 after two innings.
Jones put up two more in the third on runs by Smith and Rutledge, who scored all four times she came to the plate and belted a pair of home runs.
But once again Grissom’s answered the call, taking a lead with six runs in the third inning.
Coly Richardson got the big inning going for Grissom’s, and scored to cut Jones’ advantage to 11-7. Rachel Mott, Teeters, Mullican, Taylor and Turner all came home before the inning was complete, giving their team a 12-11 edge.
That edge proved to be short-lived, however, as Dr. Jones saved its best for last, scoring eight runs in the fourth to retake the lead.
Newman, Young, Rush, Jordan Dyer, Smith, Rhea, Rutledge and Taylor Grissom all came home for Jones in the inning, with Young connecting for a home run and the 3-4 hitting combination of Rutledge and Taylor Grissom belting back-to-back shots to close out the hit parade.
Grissom’s attempted another comeback in its half of the fourth, and got runs from Jamie Tittsworth, Richardson, Mott, Shelby Brennaman and Teeters, but Jones turned up its defense and retired three of the next four batters to preserve the victory and take home the championship.
Earlier Saturday it was Grissom’s which came out on the top end of a close ballgame, winning over Jones 19-16. Jones plated five runs to get things going in the first, but Grissom’s came right back with six to keep things close, then answered Jones’ four second-inning scores with two more of their own.
Jones put up another four-spot in the third, only to see Grissom’s put up a six-run frame. In the top of the fourth, Jones padded its lead with a pair of runs, going up 16-13, but Grissom’s countered with six runs of its own in the bottom of the inning to force an additional game.
Grissom’s Underground was coached by Brian Taylor, Mike Mullican, Anthony Brennaman and Kevin Rowland, while the championship squad from Dr. Jones was headed up by Yvonda Rutledge, Wendy Grissom, Joe Grissom and Angie Newman.