By By Scott Cooper- Sports reporter
The 11-12-year-old East Brewton All-Stars ran into a buzzsaw in the form of Opp's starting pitcher, who tossed a one-hitter, in an Opp July 5 opening-round win in the District 5 Little League tournament being played at the YMCA Sports Park in Brewton.
The early 3-1 loss placed the team in a must-win position in their second game, which they lost Monday night. That game story will appear in Sunday's Standard.
After neither team got untracked offensively in a scoreless first inning, Opp jumped out front with two runs in the top half of the second.
Three hits, including two RBI singles, were the major factors that placed Opp in early control with a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, East Brewton's offense produced its lone hit of the contest that contributed to a run. Tyler Nall drew a leadoff walk to begin the rally before moving to second on Jacob Cannon's fielder's choice.
Following Jamar Travis' single, Nall crossed the plate on an Opp fielding error to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Opp came right back in the top of the fifth to regain a two-run cushion. A solo home run was the big shot that gained East Brewton's opponent some breathing room while pushing the lead to 3-1.
By continuing to handcuff the East Brewton batters in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings, Opp closed-out the 3-1 victory that placed them in the winner's bracket of the tournament.
Although suffering the loss, East Brewton's Tyler Nall kept his team in the game with an outstanding performance from the mound.
Nall gave-up six hits while striking-out six and allowing no walks over six innings.
Jamar Travis went 1-for-3 to lead the East Brewton offense.
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.