First National cashes in – Regular season champs capture tournament title

The regular season champions finished strong in the senior league baseball tournament last week. First National Bank took the tournament title after fighting back out of the loser’s bracket.

First National beat Sanders Construction in two straight games, downing Sanders in the first game 10-8 and wrapping up the crown in the final game, 6-5.

Sanders defeated First National in the finals of the winners bracket 11-1 on Thursday. But First National disposed of All-State on Friday 7-3 to earn a spot in the finals and a rematch with Sanders.

In the first game for the championship trophy, Grayson Woods got the start for First National pitching the first two innings of hit-less ball. In the bottom of the first, Woods tripled with two outs, and singles by Hayden Jones, August Palombo, John Martin and Eric Cantrell produced three runs for First National.

Up 3-0 heading into the bottom of the third, First National sent two more runs across the plate off of three hits.

Jones and Park Hillard came in and worked the fourth inning for First National, giving up eight runs to Sanders Construction. With one out, Logan Wanamaker singled and three consecutive walks loaded the bases. Zack York and Mitchell Morton connected with back-to-back singles with Morton’s hit driving York home. With one runner on Kaleb Rymer hit a home run as Sanders pulled within one run at 8-9.

In the bottom of the fifth First National added one more run to the board. Woods came in and closed out the final inning. securing the victory after fanning the last two batters.

For Sanders, Morton and Rymer had three hits each. York, Dylan Young and Wanamaker had two hits apiece and Alex Sullivan added one hit.

For First National, Woods, Jones, Palombo and Martin collected two hits each. Hillard, Tyler Phillips, Cantrell and Griffin Jones had one hit apiece.

In the second game, Rymer took the mound for Sanders, while Woods got the start for First National.

In the top of the first inning Sanders scored two runs on walks by York and Rymer and then a single by Young gave Sanders the early lead.

Up 2-0 in the top of the third, Sanders padded its lead when York and Morton drew back-to-back walks. Rymer collected his second homer of the night and picked up three RBI’s to give his team a 5-0 advantage.

In the bottom of the inning, First National narrowed the gap to one run. Two bases on balls and hits by Hillard, Woods and Jones made it a 5-4 ball game.

Sanders went down in order in the top of the fourth. First National took the lead in the bottom of the inning after Palombo singled and then stole second to lead things off. A walk, stolen base and wild pitch produced two runs, as First National held a 6-5 lead.

Sanders came up short in the top of the fifth and sixth innings as First National held on to claim the crown.

For First National, Hillard, Woods, Hayden Jones, Palombo and Griffin Jones had one hit each.

Young led Sanders with two hits and Rymer added one.