Player of the week: Payne Hasty
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, June 26, 2007
On the under-12 Demopolis team that dominated its Cal Ripken district 10 tournament during the past week, Payne Hasty made contributions on both sides of the field that helped his team go undefeated and move on to the state tournament.
On the tournament, Hasty, put up an impressive .733 batting average and knocked out two homeruns over the course of competition, leading his team in both areas. Hasty also contributed from the mound and playing defense on the diamond.
In the first match up for the team during this weekend&8217;s final stretch of the tournament, Hasty brought in the first runners for the team when in the bottom of the first inning he hit a double to bring in teammates Darreous Zanders and Tyler Charleston, who reached base off of singles. Later in the game Hasty got on base off a walk and crossed the plate off help from his teammates in the group&8217;s 11-1 four-inning victory.
In the second game of the day for the under 12 district title, Hasty opened up on the mound and pitched three innings allowing three runs on two hits and recording six strikeouts in the process. Though not rocking the bat in the game, Hasty came out when it counted, in the extra inning that decided the which team moved to the state tournament and which was finished for the summer. Hasty came to bat with bases loaded and one out and hit a single that brought in teammate Bradley Simmons and clinched the title for the Demopolis all-stars.
&8212; Brandon Glover