By Staff
from staff reports
With spring break quickly disappearing in the rear view mirror, Brewton Little League baseball resumed league play Monday night at the YMCA Sports Park, and for Andrew Etheridge it was a nice way to welcome baseball back. Etheridge enjoyed his return by helping his 9-10 Marlins team defeat the Astros 11-8.
Both on the mound and at the plate, Etheridge dominated and helped his team get right back in the thick of the 9-10 division race. In the 11-12 division both the Rockies and the Brewers held their positions in the standings with victories, looking forward to their meeting on Thursday that will determine who stands alone at the top of the 11-12 standings. Both have 5-1 league records, thanks to Monday’s wins. The Rockies beat the Tigers 8-3, while the Brewers topped the Rangers 20-8.
9-10 DIVISION
Marlins 11, Astros 8
Andrew Etheridge not only got the win on the mound with three innings pitched (5 hits, 4 strikeouts) but he helped his own cause with a pair of inside-the-park home runs and driving in four runs and made two sterling defensive plays as well for the Marlins (2-2)
Hunter Johnson got a single and a double and scored two runs to help the Marlins offensively.
11-12 DIVISION
Rockies 8, Tigers 3
Winn was the right word for the Rockies (6-1, 5-1) on Monday … as in Kellyn Winn. The 12-year-old had a game to remember as well, striking out nine in a complete-game victory. In addition, he was 2-for-4 with a home run in helping his own cause at the plate. He got plenty of offensive support as his teammates banged out 11 hits, led by Tripp Floyd and Hunter Brittain who had three hits each. Floyd had a pair of doubles and three RBIs, while Brittain added a pair of RBIs. Jake Najor, Chris Gehman and River Johnson each contributed a single and scored a run.
The Tigers’ Jonathan Lucas slapped an inside-the-park home run and scored twice.
Brewers 20, Rangers 8
Coming within two outs of a complete game, Brooks Brown improved to 2-0 on the mound in helping the Brewers (5-2, 5-1) keep pace with the Rockies. Brown’s efficiency on the mound helped him strike out five and walk just one. In the meantime, he was helped by an offensive output that included 17 hits.
Ethan Tyree and Jared Cooper accounted for nearly half of those hits as each went 4-for-5 on the night. Tyree had four singles, an RBI and scored five times while Cooper (four RBIs) had a three-run, inside-the-park home run in the first inning before slapping three more singles. Dakota Stokes added a double, triple and three RBIs, while Tyler Hoomes added a pair of hits. Tyler Baxter and Caleb Winton each had an RBI double. Brown, Joshua Winton (three walks, four runs scored) and Christian Alvarez each had RBI hits as well.
The Rangers, who banged out 13 hits of their own, were led by hot-hitting Drew Williamson.
A 10-year-old, Williamson was perfect at the plate with four singles. Jackson Deatherage, Landon Salter and Christian Mancil recorded two hits apiece and Grant Youngblood added and RBI single, scoring Harrison Hughes.