All-stars win TYBA state championship

By DALE STUBBLEFIELD / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

Warren County’s 10-year-old all-star team gathers around as coach Billy Hammonds accepts their championship plaque at the TYBA state tournament last weekend in Cookeville. (Photo provided)

The Warren County 10-year-old all-stars captured the state title at Cookeville last weekend in the Tennessee Youth Baseball Association State Tournament, going undefeated in five straight games at the Cane Creek Sportsplex.

In the championship game on Sunday, Warren County faced the Joelton Explosion and claimed the first-place trophy with a 13-2 win.

Warren County scored six runs in the first inning. Tyler Keaton started the inning off with a single. Patrick Harvey doubled to score Keaton then two more doubles from Mathew Tidenburg and Mark Harvey gave WC a three-run lead.

Tyler Gilley stepped to the plate and went deep with a two-run homer to make it 5-0. Logan Seamons then tripled and went home on a wild pitch for Warren County’s sixth run.

WC picked up one run in the second and then added five more runs in the fourth. Three singles back-to-back from Gilley, Seamons and Andrew Sims then two doubles in a row from Shelton Brewer and Dakota Taylor provided the offense. Warren County added one run in the fourth to pad its lead to 13-0.

Warren County held Joelton scoreless until the fifth inning when two doubles and three singles produced the team’s only two runs.

Patrick Harvey, Tidenburg, Gilley, Sims, Seamons, Brewer, Taylor and Lou Christian each went 2-for-3. Keaton and Mark Harvey were each 1-for-3.

In the semi-final game Warren County defeated UNA 3-1 in what would be their only close game of the tournament. Warren County had a one-run lead in the top of the fourth, then UNA tied the game in the bottom of the fifth before WC produced four singles off the bats of Tidenburg, Gilley, Sims and Brewer to take the win in the top of the sixth.

Warren County opened the tournament with a win over the Kittrell Sox 12-4. The team went on to defeat the Tennessee Stix 22-5, and rolled over the Smyrna Bulldogs 13-2 to reach the semifinals.