From the excitement of Saturday’s seven-run win over the Florida champion to a 13-0 whipping administered by West Virginia Huntington Little League on Sunday, Wilson City Little League still has a fighting chance to advance in the Ages 8-10 Tournament of State Champions, being held for the first time at Gillette Baseball Complex.
The final round of group play in the eight-team tournament is Monday with two teams — South Carolina champion Northwood of Taylors and Tennessee champion Goodlettsville — having already qualified for the elimination round Tuesday with 2-0 records.
Wilson City Little is lumped with three other teams, including Greenville Tar Heel, at 1-1. Wilson will now have its chance at revenge in a loser-(probably)-go-home showdown at 45 minutes past high noon Monday at the stadium. Tar Heel, which was roasted 11-1 by Georgia champion Northern Little League of Midland on Sunday, thumped WCLL in the winners bracket finals at the North Carolina state tournament in Greenville earlier this month.
Northwood nipped Florida champion Northeast, dropping the St. Petersburg club to 0-2 while Goodlettsville — a program that has twice ended WCLL Southeast Region runs in Warner Robins, Georgia — also stands 2-0 after getting past Virginia champion Tuckahoe of Henrico 9-6.
Wilson never got going in Sunday’s contest, watching Huntington erupt for five runs in the second and seven in the third to trigger the mercy rule.
The host team managed just an Austin Manning single off Huntington reliever Bretton Gililand. He and starter Christian Johnson each worked two scoreless innings. Johnson, the winner, struck out six and walked four.
Starter Easton Martin took the loss for Wilson. He lasted 1 2/3 innings, giving up five runs — three earned — on four hits. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out one.
Johnson doubled and singled in three at-bats while Hudson Yeager was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Gililand and Jace Moss also doubled and scored twice for Huntington.
Score by innings:
Huntington 157 0 — 13
Wilson 000 0 — 0
WP-Christian Johnson 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 SO. LP-Easton Martin 1 2/3 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.
LEADING HITTERS: Huntington: Hudson Yeager 2-4, 3 R, 2 RBIs; Christian Johnson 2-3, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBIs; Bretton Gililand 2-2, 2B, 2 R.; Jace Moss 1-3, 2B, 2 R, RBI; Kveon Hurley 1-2, 2 R. Wilson: Austin Manning 1-1.
NORTHWOOD (S.C.) 5, NORTHEAST (Fla.) 4
Northwood Little League, the South Carolina champion from Taylors, rallied from a 4-0 deficit with five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to post a dramatic victory over Northeast Little League of St. Petersburg, Florida.
The win boosted Northwood to 2-0 and into the elimination round with one more day of group play to go. Northeast, the Florida champion, dropped to 0-2.
Beckett DeSerio blasted a two-run double for Northwood in the decisive fifth. Leland Forrester led the South Carolina king’s nine-hit attack with a 2-for-3 showing that included a double. Hampton Balon and Sam Oglesby also doubled.
William Kirchner, who took the pitching loss, was 2 for 3 with a triple, an RBI and two runs scored for Northeast. Carter Williams was 2 for 4 while Jack Schneider was 1 for 2 with an RBI.
Score by innings:
Northeast 201 010 — 4
Northwood 000 05x — 5
GOODLETTSVILLE (Tenn.) 9, TUCKAHOE (Va.) 6
Tennessee champion Goodlettsville built a huge lead and then held on to beat Virginia champ Tuckahoe of Henrico in the second game Sunday.
Goodlettsville piled up seven runs in the top of the third inning and then watched Tuckahoe creep back within 7-6 before adding a pair of insurance runs in the fifth. Preston Pacurar and Tyler Campbell each had two of Goodlettsville’s nine hits. Campbell doubled. Johnny Cuthill drove in a pair of runs.
Tuckahoe, now 0-2, was led by Harrison Hunn and Graham Hensley at the plate, both going 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Score by innings:
Goodlettsville 007 020 — 9
Tuckahoe 000 240 — 6
NORTHERN (Ga.) 11, TAR HEEL (N.C.) 1
Facing a Northern Little League team out of Midland, Georgia, that was desperate to stay in contention, Greenville Tar Heel, undefeated in the North Carolina state tournament, suffered its first postseason setback in a four-inning game via the mercy rule.
Northern pounced on Tar Heel with eight runs in the top of the second inning and limited the Greenville team to just two hits — a double by Logan Kendrick and a single by Brayden Winfield.
Bryson Wilkinson and Eric King combined on the two-hitter for Northern. Wilkinson gave up both hits and an earned run while striking out four in three innings.
Riggis Burnett doubled twice and drove in two runs in a 3-for-3 performance at the plate for Northern. Raymond Gash homered and drove in a pair in his 2-for-2 showing. Kam Carter also had two hits while Jeff Lawrence and King each knocked in two runs.
Score by innings:
Northern 081 2 — 11
Tar Heel 010 0 — 1
TOSC Ages 8-10 Glance
Saturday, July 23
10 a.m. Tar Heel (Greenville, N.C.) 5, Tuckahoe (Henrico, Va.) 1
12:45 pm. Northwood (Taylors, S.C.) 7, vs. Huntingon (Huntington, W.Va.) 4
3:30 p.m. Wilson City (N.C.-R) 9, Northeast (St. Petersburg, Fla.) 2
6:15 p.m. Goodlettsville (Goodlettsville, Tenn.) 8, Northern (Midland, Ga.) 3
Sunday, July 24
10 a.m. Northwood (S.C.) 5, Northeast (Fla.) 4
12:45 p.m. Goodlettsville (Tenn.) 9, Tuckahoe (Va.) 6
3:30 p.m. Huntington (W.Va.) 13, Wilson City (N.C.-R) 0, 4 innings
6:15 p.m. Northern (Ga.) 11, Tar Heel (N.C.) 1
Monday, July 25
10 a.m. Huntington (W.Va.) vs. Goodlettsville (Tenn.)
12:45 p.m. Wilson City (N.C.-R) vs. Tar Heel (N.C.)
3:30 p.m. Northern (Ga.) vs. Northeast (Fla.)
6:15 p.m. Northwood (S.C.) vs. Tuckahoe (Va.)
Tuesday, July 26
Semifinals, 11 a.m.
Wednesday, July 27
Championship, 11 a.m.
Standings
Teams with two or more wins will advance to the elimination round that will be structured based on the number of qualifying teams, from four to six. Tiebreakers are head-to-head results and defensive runs per inning allowed (ARI), based on defensive runs allowed (RA) and defensive innings played (DIP).
Team W L RA DIP ARI
*Northwood 2 0 8 12 .667
*Goodlettsville 2 0 9 12 .750
Huntington 1 1 7 12 .583
Northern 1 1 9 12 .750
Tar Heel 1 1 12 12 1.000
Wilson City 1 1 15 12 1.250
^Northeast 0 2 14 12 1.167
^Tuckahoe 0 2 14 12 1.167
* Qualified for elimination rounds
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.