Tournament’s Day 3 sees competitive games

Published 12:06 pm Friday, March 8, 2013

Sliding safely: A throw to Isabella’s Brandon Chapman at second base (right) was too late to get Maplesville’s Trent Smitherman. Left: Jemison pitcher Justin Caudle held Thorsby to two runs as the Panthers picked up a win in the late game Thursday of the Chilton County Baseball Tournament.

Sliding safely: A throw to Isabella’s Brandon Chapman at second base (right) was too late to get Maplesville’s Trent Smitherman. Left: Jemison pitcher Justin Caudle held Thorsby to two runs as the Panthers picked up a win in the late game Thursday of the Chilton County Baseball Tournament.

By Brandon Sumrall | Special to the Advertiser

Night 3 of the Chilton County Baseball Tournament featured some of the most competitive games thus far.

The Maplesville Red Devils and Isabella Mustangs needed extra innings Thursday to decide the outcome of their contest, but it was the Red Devils that came away with a 4-3 win.

The Red Devils struck first. After two scoreless innings between the two teams, Brett Walker drove Trent Smitherman across the plate on a single to right field, giving Maplesville an early 1-0 lead.

The sixth inning was the next time either team would score. With two outs and the bases loaded for the Mustangs, a ground ball to pitcher Colby Chambers looked as though it would be the third out and retire the side, but an errant throw got past the first baseman and resulted in three Mustangs crossing home plate and a 3-1 Isabella lead in the top of the sixth.

Chambers scored in the bottom of the seventh inning after a Smitherman single to draw the Red Devils to within one run of the lead. A long fly ball to left field scored Smitherman to tie the game at 3-all, but two consecutive infield fly balls sent the game to extra innings.

After retiring the Mustangs, the Red Devils took their shot at ending the game. With Trevor Wallace aboard with a single, a collision at first base and a passed ball would send Wallace across the plate to give the Red Devils the 4-3 win.

The late game of the evening matched the Thorsby Rebels and Jemison Panthers. Although the game would remain tied through four innings of play, seven late runs by the Panthers would be enough to propel them past the Rebels, 9-2.

Justin Caudle for the Panthers and Brantly Maddox for the Rebels would duel it out on the mound for their respective teams through the first two innings before the Rebels finally broke the scoreless game in the top of the third.

Parker Bryan and Chris Brown led off the inning for the Rebels with back-to-back singles, and Matt Morgan drove in Bryan with a third straight single.

Brown scored on a passed ball to give the Rebels an early 2-0 lead.

Not to be outdone, the Panthers answered in the bottom of the third with two runs of their own.

Consecutive errors put Matt Murphy and Corbin Bice on board while an Austin Broadhead infield single scored Murphy and a Matt Lenoir shot to center field scored Bice, tying the game at 2-all.

The fourth inning would come and go for both teams with no change in score, but the Panthers added three more runs in the top of the fifth.

Two consecutive singles by Bice and Cade Hatch gave the Panthers runners with no outs. A single by Jacob Hatch scored Bice, and Cade Hatch would score on a passed ball. A Logan Ray single scored Jacob Hatch, giving the Panthers a 5-2 lead.

With Caudle shutting down the Rebel bats, the Panthers added four more runs in the top of the seventh inning to cap off the victory.

Caudle pitched seven innings for the Panthers with eight strikeouts, six hits, three walks and two earned runs allowed.

Jacob Hatch led the Panthers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two singles, a double and two RBI.

Maddox pitched seven innings for the Rebels with four strikeouts, 12 hits, one walk and six earned runs allowed.

Morgan went 2-for-2 with one single, one triple, one walk and one RBI.