American Legion championship
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Yankees won the American Legion championship Thursday night with a 9-2 romp over the Royals. Team members in random order include Nathan Gabbard, Joby Ellington, Morgen Tubbs, Zac Bolen, Chris Cassiday, D. C. Sheley, Tyler Pogue, Hunter Cook and Morgan Montgomery. The Panolian photo by Glennie Pou
By Brad Greer
The Batesville Yankees proved the old cliche’: “Its not where you start its where one ends to be true” Thursday night in the finals of the 13-15 year-old American Legion post season baseball tournament.
After a third place finish in the regular season, the Yankees got hot at the right time by defeating the second-seeded Red Sox Monday night then turning the tables on regular-season champion Royals 9-4 Thursday to claim the title.
Morgan Tubbs drove in a pair a runs with two doubles and a single as four Yankees pitchers held the Royals to two hits on the night.
Morgan Montgomery added a pair of RBIs (runs batted in) with a single and a fourth inning fielders’ choice that scored Hunter Cook to give the Yanks a 4-2 lead.
After the Royals scored two unearned runs in the top of the first, the Yankees answered with three runs of their own in the bottom half in the inning as Tyler Pogue smacked a two-run single into right field to score Tubbs and Chris Cassiday. Joby Ellington plated the first run of the frame by reaching on an error and later stoleid home.
The score would stay 3-2 until the fourth inning when the Yankees added three runs on one hit and three walks by Royal pitching. The Yankees would then put the game away one inning later by adding three runs on four hits. After Pogue got hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, Hunter Cook drilled a triple to right followed by Montgomery’s long single to extended the lead to 8-2. Ellington would add the final run of the game by scoring a Tubbs two-out double later in the frame.
The Royals added their final runs in the top of the sixth on a two-out error to make the score 9-4. Hammer Hankins and Hunter Darby each singled for the only two Royal hits on the night. Starting pitcher Hunter Bryant took the loss while Ellington picked up the win on the hill for the Yankees. Tubbs, Zack Boleyn and D. C. Sheley all saw time on the mound for the Yankees. Bolen and Cassiday chipped in with singles in the winning effort.
In the first game of the day,the Red Sox scored three runs in the top of the sixth to take a 7-5 win over the A’s to claim third place.
