By By Scott Cooper- Sports reporter
After a promising beginning in their bid to capture the Babe Ruth Area-2 championship held in Opp, the 13-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars suffered consecutive losses that eliminated them from the tournament.
Entering the area competition on the heels of their District 7 tournament victory, the 13-year-old All-Stars opened with a win over home-standing Opp. However, a loss to Andalusia was followed by a defeat in a rematch with Opp and marked an end to Brewton's season.
Brewton 5, Opp 4
A July 3 opening-round game pitting Brewton against Opp was played to a scoreless tie until each team got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning.
In Brewton's top of the fifth plate appearance, three walks and a hit batter coupled with base hits by Bobby Freeman, Derek Busby and Jake Smith added up to a 5-0 Brewton lead.
Opp answered in the bottom of the fifth with two base hits that pushed home two runs while cutting the lead to 5-2.
In the sixth inning, Brewton walks and errors were responsible for two more Opp scores that further reduced the Brewton advantage to 5-4. However, Brewton did what was necessary to hold off the challenge and secured the win by shutting down the Opp offense in the seventh.
Derek Busby, James Hamric and Bobby Freeman combined their efforts from the mound in Brewton's winning effort.
Offensive leaders for Brewton were Jake Smith, 3-for-3 and Bobby Freeman, 1-for-2.
Andalusia 7, Brewton 4
In a July 4 contest against Andalusia, Brewton raced out to an early advantage before Andalusia began chipping away at the lead.
Following a scoreless top of the first inning for Andalusia, Brewton seized the lead with a productive bottom of the inning scoring spree.
One run scored on an error before another came as a result of a Jake Smith fielder's choice. A Tyler Brown RBI single then moved the final run across the plate while giving Brewton a 3-0 lead.
After Brewton's quick start, Andalusia took control of the game. One run in the second inning, two more in the third and four more in the fifth spelled trouble for Brewton by creating a 7-3 deficit.
Although Brewton came back with a lone run in the sixth inning, it was not nearly enough to prevent Andalusia from exiting with a 7-4 win.
Brewton leaders at the plate were James Hamric, 1-for-2 and James Freeman, 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Opp 12, Brewton 7
A July 5 rematch with Opp was a game in which Brewton fell behind before fighting back to claim the lead. But, a final-inning offensive rally by Opp spelled doom for the 13-year-old Brewton All-Stars by forcing them from the competition.
Opp held a 3-0 lead before Brewton cut the deficit down to 3-2 with a couple of runs in the bottom of the third inning.
Opp added a run in the top of the fourth to hold a 4-2 advantage, but then Brewton responded in the bottom half of the inning.
James Freeman's two-RBI single was the highlight of a three-run rally that allowed Brewton to gain their first lead of the game at 5-4.
Seeking to pad the lead they gained the previous inning, Brewton manufactured another run in the fifth while assuming a 6-4 advantage.
Each team scored a run in the sixth, sending the game to the seventh and final inning with Brewton continuing to lead by two, 7-5.
At that point in the contest, Opp received help from Brewton in the form of numerous walks and an error. However, Opp also came through with two clutch base hits that heavily contributed to a seven-run offensive barrage that placed Brewton at a 12-7 disadvantage.
After Brewton was retired without a hit in the bottom half of the inning, the game belonged to Opp and Brewton's season came to an end.
Leading the Brewton offense were Jake Hodge, 1-for-2; James Freeman, 1-for-3 with two RBIs and James Hamric, 1-for-3.
Brewton 13,
Covington County 3
Brewton kept the positive momentum intact when they squared off against Covington County on July 4 and came away with a convincing 13-3 win.
While Baxley Raines kept the Covington County offense off balance over the course of the contest, Brewton pounded-out 11 base hits and took advantage of six Covington errors to build a lead that only escalated as the game evolved.
RBI singles by Tanner Shehan and Mackie Jackson gained Brewton a 2-0 lead in the second inning of play.
Following a scoreless third inning, RBIs off the bats of Raines, Jared Cooper and Travis Holland moved four more baserunners across the plate while upping Brewton's advantage to 6-0.
In the top of the sixth inning, Covington produced three hits and took advantage of three walks to mount a rally that reduced the lead down to 6-3.
Brewton, however, came right back in the bottom of the inning and reciprocated with a furious rally that ended the game.
Two runs scored due to Covington control problems from the mound before consecutive two-RBI doubles by Allen Williams and Raines pushed the lead to 12-3. Jared Cooper then ended the game due the 10-run rule after his fielder's choice moved another runner across the plate, making the game-ending score 13-3.
Raines earned the win with a three-hitter that included nine strikeouts over six innings.
Pacing Brewton's offense were Raines, 4-for-5 with three RBIs; Travis Holland, 2-for-4 with two RBIs; Becker Denton, 1-for-2; Kendall Land, 1-for-2 and Jared Cooper, two RBIs.
Covington County 7,
Brewton 4
Although in the enviable position of having two chances to win the tournament, Brewton sought a victory in Sunday's contest to end the competition swiftly and put the wraps on the area championship.
Covington County, though, had other ideas and controlled the action over much of the game before a late Brewton rally tied the game. But, a final-inning Covington offensive rally earned them the win that forced Brewton into a July 8 title-game rematch.
After Brewton was held scoreless in the top of the first inning, Covington swung the bats with authority while gaining the lead in the bottom half of the inning.
Two runs on two hits added up to a 2-0 deficit for Brewton heading to the top of the second inning.
At that point, Brewton responded by knotting the score. Jared Cooper reached on an error, and then moved to third on Becker Denton's single to centerfield. Jimmie Jones then pushed Cooper across the plate with a fielder's choice before Denton later scored on a passed ball that deadlocked the contest, 2-2.
Covington answered in the bottom of the inning, manufacturing two more runs on three base hits while assuming the lead at 4-2.
With pitching and defense highlighting the action over the next several innings, the score remained unchanged as Brewton came to bat in the top of the sixth.
A Mackie Jackson single to right field was the start of a Brewton rally that pulled the 14-year-old All-Stars even. Following Jackson's single, Baxley Raines delivered an RBI double that made the score 4-3. Jared Cooper then moved Raines to third with a sacrifice bunt before Denton's clutch two-out RBI single to left field tied the game, 4-4.
In Covington's next turn at the plate, Brewton's fortunes were reversed. With two outs, the Brewton defense surrendered a walk and two singles that Covington converted into a run. Then, a Brewton fielding error led to two more runs that placed the local All-Stars at a 7-4 disadvantage as they came to bat in the top of the seventh.
With one final opportunity to make something happen offensively, Brewton focused on a final-inning rally. But, the Covington County pitcher retired the Brewton batters in order to preserve the win and force a second championship finale.
Batting leaders for Brewton were Becker Denton, 2-for-3 with one RBI; Baxley Raines, 1-for-2 with one RBI and Mackie Jackson, 1-for-3.