Marengo County Butane moves to championship
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, June 27, 2007
DEMOPOLIS &8212; The game to decide who would play Greene County Steam Plant for the championship of the area Babe Ruth league came down to two teams that played one another in the first round of the tournament. Gibbs and Sellers won the first match up between the two, but a strong bating effort from Marengo County Butane allowed the group to get their revenge and move to today&8217;s game with a, 11-4, win.
Gibbs and Sellers put up points in the first with help from the Marengo County Butane team. After a strikeout, Matt Wallack got on with a walk, Wood Collins got on base off an error and Larry Dunn was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Alex Hopkins was walked, which moved Wallack across the plate, as was Alex Wells, which scored Collins, before Marengo changed pitchers and escaped the inning with two strikeouts.
Marengo hit the bottom of the inning determined and quickly loaded the bases with no outs after Rabe Hale was hit by a pitch, Matt Etheridge was walked and Chase Smyly hit a single. A passed ball brought in Hale and a single from William Hill brought in Etheridge. Hunter Vick followed with a double to center field, which scored Smyly and Hill.
Gibbs and Sellers recorded a strikeout, during which a pass ball moved Vick to third. A single from Trey Oates brought in Vick and was followed by a Jacob Roemen walk. A pass ball moved runners to second and third, and a double from Hale brought in Oates. A pop out ended the inning, 6-2.
Neither team could get much going in the following two and a half innings until Marengo extended its lead in the bottom of the fourth. Hale and Etheridge were walked to lead off and they both scored off a double from Smyly. Cameron Barger was walked next and followed by a ground out that advanced the runners to second and third. A single from Vick brought in the runners and ended the scoring of the inning, 10-2, as Gibbs and Sellers cleaned up off the following batters.
In the top of fifth Gibbs and Sellers cut the lead by a meager margin when both lead off batters hit doubles. Collins hit one first and was helped by a throwing error to first and Dunn followed, bringing in Collins. A ground out to second from Wells brought in Dunn, who had advanced to third off a pass ball, leaving the score 10-4.
Players got a break between the top and bottom of the fifth due to inclement weather and Marengo came out to bat once the weather passed. Hale got on first off a walk but was taken out of play of a fielder&8217;s choice from a single from Etheridge, who moved to third off a single from Smyly. After a pop out to the third baseman from Barger, Hill was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Vick was then walked, bringing in Hale, before the last batter ground out to third, leaving the score 11-4.
Gibbs and Sellers couldn&8217;t capitalize off loaded bases in the top of the sixth and neither team made much progress during their next at bat ending the game, 11-4.