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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
LUMBERTON – Elizabethtown escaped a West Robeson American bases-loaded rally in the sixth inning and claimed a 10-6 victory Sunday night in the winners’ bracket finale of the District 9 AA (Coach-Pitch) Tournament at Northeast Park.
West Robeson put their first 3 batters on base in the sixth, but Elizabethtown thirdbaseman Mason Smith and shortstop Davion Lewis caught pop-ups for the first 2 outs. The next hitter lined a drive to left-centerfield, but Ryan Dove came charging in to snare the sinking liner inches above the ground for the game-ending out.
The Elizabethtown defense limited the high-scoring West Robeson offense to only 6 runs only one day after the West Robeson team piled up 20 runs in 3 innings.
Smith, Lewis and secondbaseman Zach Sholar caught 2 pop-ups each in the game. Smith threw out 2 batters on ground balls, and pitcher Easton Bostic scooped up 3 grounders and threw batters out at first.
Firstbaseman Tyler Lewis recorded 5 put-outs. Dove and centerfielder Dawson Wright snagged 2 fly balls each, and leftfielder Jake Gooden caught one.
After West Robeson went up 2-0 in the first, Elizabethtown answered with 3 runs in the bottom half. Sholar laced a single to rightfield, and Tyler Lewis smacked a single to left. Davion Lewis forced Tyler Lewis at second base, but Wright knocked in Sholar with a single to centerfield.
Smith cracked a single to centerfield that drove in Davion Lewis, and Dove’s fielder’s choice plated Wright and edged Elizabethtown in front 3-2.
Elizabethtown padded the lead with 5 runs in the third. Sholar slapped a single to right but was forced at second by Tyler Lewis. Wright hammered a double to leftfield that scored Tyler Lewis, and Smith walloped a triple to left-centerfield that scored Wright.
Dove smashed a triple to leftfield that scored Smith, and Colton Daly ripped a triple to rightfield that plated Dove. Gooden yanked a single to left that scored Daly and pushed the lead to 8-2.
West Robeson trimmed the margin to 8-5, but Sholar beat out an infield hit in the fourth, and Tyler Lewis swatted a single to left. Davion Lewis forced Sholar out at third, but Wright ripped a 2-run double to left that upped the count to 10-5.
Wright crushed 2 doubles, knocked in 4 runs, scored 2 and batted a perfect 3-3. Smith finished 3-3 at the plate with a triple, 2 rbi’s and a run scored. Sholar was 3-3 and scored a run. Gooden also turned in a 3-3 game with an rbi.
Tyler Lewis batted 2-3 with 2 runs scored. Bostic was also 2-3 at the plate. Dove clubbed a triple, drove in 2 runs and scored one. Daly pounded the rbi triple and scored a run. McCracken added an infield hit, and Davion Lewis scored twice.
Elizabethtown will play once-beaten Lumberton National Monday at 7:30.
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