By By Michael
Staff Writer
Swift Supply Lions 16,
Alto Products Braves 10
In the first game of the minor league city tournament, played last Monday, the fourth-seeded Lions defeated the fifth-seeded Braves 16-10. The loss puts the Braves in the loser's bracket of the double-elimination tournament and gives the Lions the high road.
The Lions roared out to a 6-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but the Braves scalped the Lions for four in the bottom half. The Lions scored four more in the second to the Braves' one run, and heading to the third, the Braves trailed 10-5.
The Lions bled the Braves slowly, scoring one in the third and fourth innings, and two in the fifth and sixth while holding the Braves down until the fifth, where they got loose for five runs.
Belying his last name, Buddy Valentine was Mr. Single on the evening. The Lion went 5-5, all singles, and scored three times. Rocky Rameri and Dustin McGhee each scored three runs.
Jacob Rackard and Logan Colbert each scored two runs for the Braves.
Staff Chevrolet-Olds Beavers 21, Edgar's Business Machines
Bears 13
Monday's second game of the minor league city tournament was a shootout, and the third-seeded Beavers were left standing. The Bears, who finished in last place in the regular season and are seeded six in the tournament, hung tough for as long as they could before succumbing to to the offensive power of the Beavers.
The Bears got a slow start, scoring two in the top of the second, while the Beavers jumped ahead with four in the bottom of the first and six in the second to lead 10-2 after two. After the third, the Bears pulled to within 11-6, but would get no closer.
The Beavers scored four in the fourth and six more in the fifth. The Bears plated two in the fourth and fifth innings, and three in the sixth.
Beaver Jon Dean scored four runs, while four players scored three runs: Jessie Everette, Haden McGill, Nicholas Johnson and Josh Dorriety. Dorriety and Gordon Nichols both homered.
Dante Johnson, Blake Kirk, Skyler Peacock and Kyle Scott each scored two runs for the Bears.
Swift Supply Lions 19,
Maxwell-Haley Cubs 10
The Lions appear to be hitting their stride, and it couldn't have come at a better time. They scored nine runs in the third and six in the fourth to put the crunch on the Cubs, 19-10, and advance to the fourth round of the tournament without a loss.
The Cubs notched four runs in the top of the first inning, but so did the Lions. The Cubs went scoreless in the second and third, and scored three in the fourth and three in the fifth. The Lions went scoreless in the second inning, but the huge third and fourth innings buried the Cubs, sending them to the loser's bracket.
The Cubs showed balanced offense as Kyle Chafin scored twice, the only Cub to score more than one run.
Four Lions scored three runs apiece: Buddy Valentine, Cody Vickrey, Cameron McGhee and Blake Morgan. Rocky Rameri scored four runs to lead the way.
Staff Chevrolet-Olds Beavers 14, Atmore Vision Center Cardinals 7
The Cardinals lost for just the second time this year, falling to the third-seeded Beavers. The win sets up a winner's bracket meeting between the Beavers and the Lions Monday.
The Cards will play the Braves in an elimination game Thursday.
The game started routinely for the Cards, leading 4-1 after two innings. The Beavers tied it up at 4-4 in the top of the third, but the Cards scored two in the bottom half to regain the lead at 6-4.
Not until the top of the sixth would the Cards score again, getting one run. But by then, the Beavers had managed two in the fourth, six in the fifth and two in the sixth to ice the game.
Trent Freeman scored three times for the Cards while Steven Yoder came home twice.
Haden McGill scored four times for the Beavers while Jon Dean scored three runs. Nico Johnson had three hits on the evening, including a four-bagger in the fifth.
Atmore Vision Center Cardinals 25, Alto Products Braves 7
The Cardinals eliminated the Braves from the city tournament Thursday night by exploding for 10 runs in the fifth inning enroute to swamping the Braves 25-7.
Trailing 4-0 after one, the Braves scored four in the top of the second to tie the game. The Cards scored two in the bottom half retake the lead 6-4. The Braves scored one in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but couldn't keep up with the Cards. After scoring two in the third, the Cards struck for seven in the fourth and a whopping 10 in the fifth to send the Braves home to enjoy the rest of the summer.
Cameron Cobb and Kadeem Grubbs each scored two runs for the Braves. Cobb blasted a solo homer over the fences in the sixth.
Every Cardinal player scored at least one time, and Trent Freeman and Justin Childress each scored four times. Maurice White, Jordan Hasting and Steven Yoder all scored three runs apiece.
Edgar's Business Machines Bears 26, Maxwell-Haley Castleberry Cubs 14
It appeared that the Bears released some pent-up aggression from the regular season. The Bears, the tournament's 6-seed, blasted the second-seeded Cubs and eliminated them from the tournament.
As it often happens in such a game, the Cubs were pounding the Bears early on, leading 6-2 after three innings. But in the fourth inning, the slumbering Bears awoke from the season-long hibernationand they were hungry. They scored 13 runs in the fourth and followed that up with nine runs in the fifth. Game over. The Cubs tried to stay with the Bears, scoring two in the fifth and six in the sixth, but it was not enough.
Kyle Chafin and Harrison Whitehead each scored three runs for the Cubs in their season finale, while Mitchell Rolin and Gary Barnes scored twice each.
Every Bear scored. Skyler Peacock came home four times, while Mitch Yoder, Ryan Linam, Dante Johnson and Kyle Scott scored three runs each.