Coca-Cola manager Keith Hughes understands baseball is entertainment. He just wishes his team didn’t make their games so captivating.
Coca-Cola overcame a slow start with six unanswered runs, then held on for a 6-5 victory over Southern Appliance Repair in 11- to-12-year-olds Dixie Youth Baseball play Monday night at Edgewood Park.
Trailing 6-3 entering the sixth inning, Southern Appliance Repair got a two-run home run from Trisdan White to slice the deficit to one run.
White’s shot easily cleared the center-field fence and also scored Dee Bonds, who doubled to lead off the inning.
But Coca-Cola closer Ben Coney retired the next three hitters to preserve the victory.
“We make it interesting,” said Hughes, whose Coca-Cola team improved to 11-1. “We make it fun for everybody. I don’t like that.”
What Hughes liked was the fact that his team took advantage of their opportunities to overcome a 3-0 deficit. Coca-Cola got a two-run home of its own from Coney with one out in the second inning. Coney’s round-tripper also brought home Matthew Owen, whose bloop single to center got the rally started.
Coca-Cola tied the game in the third when Owen singled, went to second when Coney was hit by a pitch and scored on a Southern Appliance Repair infield error on Tyler Alexander’s infield grounder.
Southern Appliance Repair manager Landee Lott was unhappy with the base running displayed by his players, three of which were picked off. Two others were retired to end a double play — one on a line drive, the other in a rundown.
“It was just base running for us,” said Lott, whose team fell to 6-6. “It’s important that when you get base runners on, you run the bases properly. We didn’t do that.”
Southern Appliance ran itself out of a potentially big inning in the third. J.J. Carroll singled and, one out later, Patrick Artigues hit a long single off the center field fence. Coca-Cola center fielder Dalton Reed retrieved the ball and threw in to second baseman Mark Barnard, who ran down and tagged Carroll trying for third base for the second out. Artigues, who went to second on the play, was picked off by Brantley Hughes trying to swipe third for the final out.
Coca-Cola took the lead for good in the fourth. Kade Boone beat out an infield single to open the frame, went to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on an infield groundout.
After walks to Ethan Williams and Hughes loaded the bases, Owen singled to left to plate Boone for a 4-3 lead. Williams also scored when Owen’s hit was misplayed.
Coca-Cola added what turned out to be the winning run in the fifth when Alexander singled, swiped second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Boone’s single to left.
“We came out pretty flat,” Keith Hughes said. “We haven’t played in a week. But we stayed with it. We got the key hits when we needed them.”
Southern Appliance pitcher Brett Lott suffered the loss despite pitching a complete game — a nearly impossible feat for a youngster suffering from Cystic Fibrosis.
Lott gave up seven hits, walked five and struck out two.
Southern Appliance jumped on top with a three-run first inning.
After Artigues was hit by a pitch to lead off, Lott walked. Artigues scored when Cole Smith’s grounder was cleanly fielded, but the throw to first base was high. Lott scored when Justin Johnston’s infield grounder was mishanded for another error.
One out later, Smith trotted home on Christian Spencer’s grounder back to the mound.
