STANLEY – Elizabethtown scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to snap an 11-11 tie and defeat South Park 13-11 Saturday in the opening round of the North Carolina State Dixie Youth Baseball Tournament.
Brady Marlowe started the winning rally with a single, and Cade Rogers slapped a single to leftfield. Cooper Long’s fielder’s choice scored Marlowe with the go-ahead run, and Seth Faircloth’s fielder’s choice plated Rogers with an insurance run.
South Park put the lead-off batter on base in the sixth, but a force out, fly-out and a line-out to third base ended the game.
Elizabethtown built a 5-0 first-inning lead. Omar Powell led off with a single, and Ryker Strickland ripped a single to centerfield. An error on the play scored Powell. Tyler Eason yanked a single to left, and an error by the leftfielder allowed Strickland to score.
Marlowe reached base on an error that scored Eason. Rogers smacked a single but was retired on Long’s fielder’s choice. Faircloth and Fox Sutton cracked singles that scored Marlowe and Long.
South Park exploded for 7 runs in the top of the second to go up 7-5, but Elizabethtown answered with 4 runs in the home second to retake the lead 9-7. Javonte Smith and Gunner Lewis belted singles to begin the Elizabethtown rally.
Powell knocked in Smith with a single, and Strickland swatted a single that scored Lewis with the tying run. Eason followed with a single that scored Powell and put Elizabethtown back on top. Marlowe hammered a double that drove in Strickland.
South Park trimmed the margin to 9-8 with a third inning run, but Elizabethtown tacked on 2 runs in the home third to pad the lead to 11-8. Faircloth reached base on a one-out error to begin the rally.
Jag Gooden smashed a single that scored Faircloth, and Smith slammed a double that scored Gooden.
South Park scored 2 runs in the fourth and one run in the fifth to tie the game 11-11.
Smith batted 2-2 with a double, a run batted in and a run scored for the winners. Marlowe finished 2-3 at the plate with a double, 2 runs scored and an rbi. Powell batted 2-3 with 2 runs scored and an rbi.
Strickland finished 2-3 at the plate with 2 runs scored and an rbi. Eason batted 2-3 with an rbi and a run scored. Rogers turned in a 2-3 game at the plate and scored a run. Devance Tatum, Faircloth, Sutton, Gooden and Lewis connected for one hit each for Elizabethtown.
Long, Faircloth, Gooden and Lewis scored one run each. Faircloth drove in 2 runs, and Long, Sutton and Gooden had one rbi each.
Elizabethtown advanced to play West Chatham in a second round game Saturday night.
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