By BY BRUCE HIXON – SPORTS EDITOR
They outscored their opponents 22-2, outhit their opponents 19-4 and did not make an error in either contest.
In other words, not much got in the way of the Brewton Babe Ruth 13-year-old All-Stars during the first two games in the District 7 Tournament held at T.R. Miller High School.
Brewton stormed its way into the start of Saturday's championship round with a 10-0, six-inning win over South Monroe in Thursday's opening round and needed just five innings to rout Atmore 12-2 in Friday's semifinals.
Atmore and South Monroe met Saturday afternoon in an elimination game for the right to face Brewton in the finals. If necessary, the series concludes today.
Brewton 12, Atmore 2
Brewton left little doubt it would wind up in the championship round when it raced out to a 9-0 lead in the first two innings.
Brewton got five of those runs in the first inning when Gary McGraw doubled and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Logan Williamson and Joseph Strength both walked, while Curtis Glaize singled. An RBI double by Eli Tyree, a run-scoring passed ball, a run-scoring wild pitch and an error on a ball hit by Keith Bradley made it 5-0.
An error on a ball hit by McGraw opened the door for the second inning outburst. Conner Denton walked, while Williamson, Strength, Glaize, who got an RBI, and Tyree hit successive singles. Kameron Winn walked and Cooper lined an RBI single. There were also two wild pitches that brought in runs.
Atmore got all three of its hits and both of its runs in the top of the fourth, but Brewton finished it off in the fifth with three final runs. Cooper reached on an error, stole second, went to third on a throwing error and scored on a single by Denton. A balk and a walk to Williamson set up an RBI double by Strength and an RBI groundout by Glaize.
McGraw threw three hitless and scoreless innings to get the win. Cooper and Denton each threw an inning of relief.
At Brewton
Atmore 000 20 – 2 3 4
Brewton 540 03 - 12 11 0
Brewton 10, South Monroe 0
Brewton lefthander Joseph Strength baffled South Monroe batters all night long, as he tossed a complete game, one-hitter in his team's 10-0, six-inning victory.
South Monroe hit just one ball out of the infield against Strength, which was Will Ferrell's leadoff single that landed just inches fair on the right field line to start the top of the sixth inning.
Strength, who struck out nine, allowed just two additional baserunners, which came when Trevor Harris walked and Austin Fitzhugh was hit by a pitch on back-to-back at-bats with two outs in the top of the second. Strength escaped his only real serious threat when he struck out David Watson for the third out in that inning.
Despite the final score, Brewton's bats also got off to a sluggish start before they heated up in the late innings. Brewton had just one hit through the first three innings and four hits through the first five frames before it doubled that figure in the bottom of the sixth when it lashed out four hits and scored six runs to end the game on the 10-run rule.
Brewton got the only run it needed in the bottom of the first when Hayden Cooper walked, went to third on two wild pitches and scored on Conner Denton's single.
Back-to-back singles by Curtis Glaize and Reid Johnson along with a walk by Collin Graves set up an RBI fielder's choice by Gary McGraw in the fourth when Brewton doubled its lead to 2-0.
Brewton again doubled its lead, this time to 4-0, with a pair of runs in the fifth. Keith Bradley was hit by a pitch and Denton singled him to third. A wild pitch allowed Bradley to score and consecutive walks to Strength, Glaize and Reid Johnson forced in courtesy runner Tyler Nelms with the other run.
Brewton's bats came alive in the sixth although the decisive frame began with a walk to Monterious Culliver. Culliver stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. Bradley delivered an RBI single, while Denton and Logan Williamson hit back-to-back RBI doubles. Williamson took third on an error on a pickoff attempt and scored when Strength's flyball was dropped for another error. Glaize drove in the fifth run of the inning with an RBI single and two wild pitches sent him to third.
Kameron Winn followed a walk to Johnson with a groundball to second base, but Glaize beat Ferrell's throw to the plate and slid under the tag of Ryan Casey with the final run.
At Brewton
S. Monroe 000 000 – 0 1 3
Brewton 100 126 -10 8 0