After two tough losses, Cartersville posted its first win of the 9-year-old tournament, beating Murphey Candler Gold, 12-3, in the early game Thursday.
Murphey Candler still had life in the bottom of the fourth inning with runners on first and second and no outs while trailing 8-3. But Cartersville’s defense stifled the threat with consecutive force-outs at third, then an inning-ending force at second.
Shortstop Malik Watts made those final two defensive plays, then led off the fifth inning by beating out an infield single to start a clinching four-run scoring spree. Davis Williams capped the scoring with a line-drive base hit to the fence in left field with the bases loaded.
To keep place with Rockmart in the tournament standings, Murphey Candler Blue beat East Marietta National, 8-1, to move to 2-1 in the standings and stay just a half game behind an unbeaten Rockmart team.
East Marietta scored a run in the sixth inning of the 9-year-old night cap to keep from getting blanked, but the game was much closer than the score shows.
In a battle of the only unbeaten teams left in round-robin play in the District 2 12-year-old tournament, East Marietta’s bats early and arms late produced an 8-3 win over Milford. The pitchers were also the hitting stars for East Marietta: Starting pitcher Jason Rooks held Milford to one run in two innings and hit a monstrous two-run home run in the third inning, and reliever Jack Hardin got East Marietta’s scoring started with a two-run homer in the first inning and gave up only two unearned runs in 3 1/3 innings of pitching.
The only hit Hardin surrendered, and the only hit Milford recorded after the second inning, was a two-run home run over the left-field screen by first baseman/pitcher Chase Clements. Malik Bell singled and scored a run in the second inning on a Jose Bustamante single for the rest of Milford’s offense.
The second game on Field 3 in the 12-year-old tournament was stopped after the fourth inning because of the run rule. Murphey Candler Gold topped Smyrna, 20-0, to move to 2-1 in round-robin play. The loss was Smryna's second in as many days.
Action continues today as follows:
Field 1 (9-year-olds)
Murphey Candler Gold vs. East Marietta National, 6 p.m.
Rockmart vs. Cartersville, 8 p.m.
Field 3 (12-year-olds)
East Marietta National vs. Smyrna, 6 p.m.
Murphey Candler Blue vs. Milford, 8 p.m.
