By Brad Greer

Offensive run production was not hard to come by in the opening round of the Batesville City League 13 to 15 year-old round-robin baseball tournament Monday night at American Legion Park.

In the opener, the Royals fell behind the Tigers 3-1 after one inning but exploded for 13 unanswered runs to take a 14-4 win, while the Yankees erased a 5-0 deficit  by scoring six runs in the third and fourth innings to hammer the A’s 14-7 in the nightcap.

Action continues tonight and Monday while concluding Tuesday with a pair of games each night. The Tigers and Red Sox tangle at 5:30 today followed by the Royals and Yankees.

The Tigers came out swinging in the bottom of the first inning as Houston Burdette, Brandon Fletcher and Chris McCain all singled off of Royals starting pitcher Mitch Helms for a 3-1 lead.

The lead was short-lived as the Royals scored five runs in the second and seven more in the third on four hits to take control of the game.

Hunter Durham’s RBI single and Helms’ rare two-run fielder’s choice highlighted the second inning scoring. In the third, Dion Nix smashed a two-run double while Jessie Austin followed with a pair of runs as the Royals sent 11 batters to the plate.

The Royals added another run in the top of the fourth as Erik Weaver led off with a single and later scored on Nix’s run-producing single.  

The Tigers scratched across a run in the bottom of the fourth when Terrence Lamar led off with a double and later scored on a wild pitch.

Durham, Nix and Austin all had two hits each to pace the Royals at the plate. Colby Runnels doubled while Chris Townsend, Weaver and Helms all singled.Helms started the game on the mound and pitched two innings while Runnels and James Wilder followed with one inning each.

Jervacus Keys was tagged for the loss as Lamar and Burdette came on in relief.   

Meanwhile, the A’s took advantage of seven walks by Yankee starting pitcher Colby Gammill to take a 5-0 lead.

Taylor Rotenberry’s two-RBI single, along with bases loaded walks by Taylor Meeks and Will Dickins, keyed the inning, but reliever Bobby Epps put out the fire, giving up only two runs on one hit in three innings to pick up the win.

Gammill led the Yankee rally in the bottom of the second by reaching on a leadoff walk followed by a Luke Latham double.

The Yankees took the lead for good in the next inning by plating six runs on four hits. Gammill’s two-run double and Steven Woods’ single were key blows in the inning.   

The hits kept on coming in the fourth for the Yankees as they scored another six runs on five hits. After Epps led off by reaching on a error, Gammill tripled, Latham doubled and Andrew Horn singled, all in succession.

Woods and Hunter Ivy both singled to keep the inning going. The Yankees pounded out 10 hits in the game while Rotenberry and J.W. Willis had the only two hits for the A’s.