KENANSVILLE – Winning pitcher Freddy Wooten slugged 2 home runs and 4 hits to lead Elizabethtown to a 15-2 victory over Whiteville Tuesday in the North Carolina Dixie Youth Baseball Majors State Tournament.
The Elizabethtown victory left 3 teams tied with one loss each in their half of the bracket. West Robeson National won the drawing for a Wednesday bye, so Elizabethtown and Whiteville meet for the third time in the tournament Wednesday night at 7:00. The winner will play West Robeson National Thursday to decide who advances to the State Championship Series.
Wooten pitched the first 4 innings of Tuesday night’s win and struck out 6 batters, while giving up a run on 3 hits and 3 walks. Raymond Autry relieved and struck out 4 in 2 hitless innings. Autry walked two and gave up one run.
Wooten blasted a home run over the left-centerfield fence in the first inning to put Elizabethtown up 1-0.
Ty Mathis reached on an error to start the Elizabethtown second, and Tyler Hill laced a single to rightfield. Ayden Piland swatted a single to left-centerfield to drive in Mathis for a 2-0 lead.
Mahki Cromartie reached base on a dropped fly ball to start the Elizabethtown third. One out later Garrett Melvin walloped a home run over the left-centerfield fence. Wooten smashed a double to right-centerfield, and Autry crushed a home run over the left-centerfield fence to push the lead to 6-0.
Elizabethtown exploded for 9 runs in the top of the sixth to break the game open. Wooten cracked a single to start the inning, and Mathis, Hill and Garrison Tatum drew walks that forced home Wooten.
Coleman Tatum knocked in Hill with a single, before Piland clobbered a home run over the centerfield fence to clear the bases. Melvin was hit by a pitch, and Wooten ripped his second home run over the left-centerfield fence.
Autry reached base on an error by the rightfielder, and Mathis drove him in with a single.
Wooten had the 2 homers and a double, drove in 3 runs and scored 4 times. Piland knocked in 5 runs with the home run and a 3-3 performance at the plate.
Melvin drilled the 2-run homer and scored twice. Autry pounded the 2-run homer and scored twice. Mathis, Hill and Coleman Tatum added one hit each. Mathis scored twice, and Hill, Garrison Tatum, Coleman Tatum, Piland and Cromartie scored one run each. Mathis, Coleman Tatum and Garrison Tatum drove in one run each.
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