By By BRUCE HIXON-Sports Editor
Brewton's run at the Little League Age 11 state tournament in Huntsville came to an end Monday when it fell to Tuscumbia 16-5 in four innings. Brewton began the tournament with a 7-0, eight-inning loss to Cottage Hill of Mobile Saturday.
Tuscumbia, which lost to Phenix City 6-5 in Saturday's opening round, built a 14-0 lead with seven-run uprisings in the top of the second and third innings.
After being shut out for its first 10 innings of the tournament, Brewton was able to make some offensive noise in its final two at bats.
Brewton got on the board in the bottom of the third inning when Collin Langford doubled and Tyler Etheridge singled courtesy runner Shawn Odom home. Louis Miller also had an RBI single in the inning.
After Tuscumbia added two final runs to its total in the top of the fourth, Brewton answered with three markers in the bottom half of the inning although that was not enough to prevent the 10-run rule from going into effect.
Randy Davis walked, Langford singled and Tyler Etheridge walked to load the bases. Christian Purvis had an RBI groundout and Miller drilled a two-run double that accounted for the rest of the 16-5 margin.
Collin Graves went the first two and one-third innings and suffered the loss before Kameron Winn finished up.
Denton said his group still has a lot to be proud of despite going two and out.
At Huntsville
Tuscumbia 077 2 – 16 13 0
Brewton 002 3 – 5 5 5
Saturday's game
An evening that began with controversy ended with disappointment for Brewton Saturday when it was blanked 7-0 in eight innings by Cottage Hill of Mobile.
The game was delayed an hour and 45 minutes that resulted in the removal of the Cottage Hill coach from the tournament because he had not been released from coaching a summer travelling team.
On the field, Brewton pitcher Conner Denton and Cottage Hill hurler Robby Peele exchanged goose eggs for six innings until they both reached their innings allotment for the day.
Denton struck out 11, walked none and scattered eight hits during his mound stint. Denton was able to work his way out of some jams, as he stranded seven Cottage Hill runners. That included two each in the second, third and fourth innings.
Peele was even more dominant, as he struck out eight, walked none and allowed just two hits in his six innings. One of the two hits Peele allowed, a two-out fourth inning single by Denton, was erased when he was thrown out at second base when he tried to stretch a single into a double.
Both bullpens escaped potential trouble in the seventh inning. In the top of the seventh inning, Brewton reliever Parker Reiss gave up a two-out double to Will Brabston, who then stole third base. Reiss walked Corey Tittle, who tried to catch the Brewton defense off guard and advance to second base after the free pass. Brewton catcher Louis Miller got the ball back to Reiss, who then threw to second baseman Christian Purvis to catch Tittle at second base and end the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, Brewton's Collin Graves reached on catcher's interference with one out against Cottage Hill reliever Cody Whyatt. A wild pitch sent Graves to second base and Denton's groundout moved him to third with two out. Whyatt was able to escape the trouble when he got Kameron Winn, who singled in the second inning for Brewton's other hit in the game, to strike out.
With the exception of a throwing error on a fourth inning bunt attempt, Brewton's defense was perfect through seven innings. Yet it was defensive miscues that finally opened the door for Cottage Hill to win the game in the top of the eighth inning.
With one out, Sam Criegler reached on an infield error. Reiss walked Peele and a passed ball sent the runners to second and third. At that point, Coach Denton pulled Reiss and relieved him with Collin Graves. Graves promptly hit Ryan Myles to load the bases. Johnathan Brown followed with a line drive shot up the middle, but Denton dove to his left and snared the ball for the second out.
Graves and his Brewton teammates looked as if they might escape the bases loaded jam unscathed when Graves got Dalton Jackson to hit a grounder to Denton. As Denton tried to get a handle on the ball, there was a slight bobble. Once Denton recovered, he tried to force out Myles at second base but his throw was too late. That allowed Criegler to score the first run of the game and what turned out to be the only run Cottage Hill needed.
The real backbreaker came moments later when Justin Finch hit a shot into deep rightfield for a triple. Not only did all three baserunners score on the play, but a throwing error on the relay back in allowed Finch to circle the bases. The equivalent of a grand slam suddenly put Cottage Hill up 5-0.
The damage did not end there. Brabston doubled and Tittle drilled an RBI single to make it 6-0. Whyatt kept the rally going with a single and an infield error on a ball hit Criegler, the third Brewton error of the inning, allowed the seventh Cottage Hill run to score.
At Huntsville
Cottage Hill 000 000 07 – 7 13 1
Brewton 000 000 0 – 0 2 4