All-stars fall in tournament

By ROB NUNLEY / Sports Editor for the Southern Standard

Warren County catcher Dexter Hillis puts the tag on Smith County’s Chris Nixon after fielding a throw from center fielder Terrin Martin during Friday night’s game. (Dale Stubblefield photo)

Warren County’s 13-year-old Babe Ruth All-stars were handed an opening-round loss in the Mid-A Tennessee Area Tournament Friday night, falling to Smith County 10-6 at Edley Newman Field.

With the loss, the all-stars dropped to the losers’ bracket of the double-elimination tournament, and were set to face Franklin County Saturday afternoon. The five-team tourney is scheduled to conclude tonight, with a possible second championship game on Monday if necessary.

Smith County broke a scoreless tie Friday with a single run in the third inning, as pitcher Patrick Sanders helped his own cause with an RBI-single to right that scored Brett Coble. Warren County came right back, though, scoring a pair of runs with two outs in its half of the third.

J.R. Drake reached on an error, and came home on an Evan Moran triple to deep right. Moran then scored when Warren County pitcher Justin Armes blooped a single into shallow right field to put his team up 2-1.

Smith County answered in the fourth, as Jerell Smith singled to lead off the frame, went to second and third on a pair of wild pitches, then scored on Corey Rigsby’s groundout.

The visitors from Carthage all but put the game away in the fifth, however, striking Warren County reliever Todd Dunn for seven runs to go up 9-2. Back-to-back triples from Sanders and Jacob Bass highlighted the frame, and a three-run double down the left field line from Rigsby gave Smith County its hefty lead.

But Warren County’s all-stars refused to lay down, and put up four runs in the bottom of the fifth to keep things interesting. Nigel Hopkins led off with a single, and Terrin Martin reached on an error, eventually scoring on a thrown-away pickoff attempt. Alan McCormick came through later in the inning, slapping a grounder past the Smith County shortstop to score Moran and Armes and cut the deficit to 9-6.

Smith County added an insurance run in the top of the sixth, and allowed only one Warren County batter to reach base over the final two innings of the contest, with Daniel Barnes working the final inning to seal the win.

Moran had the Warren County team’s only two-hit game, while Drake and Martin reached base twice, as did Armes. Elliot Kelley and Matt Shields had a hit apiece.