Longtime McComb Dixie Youth Baseball coach Kipp Jenkins knows the formula for a successful all-star team.
“It makes a good team when you all gel together,” Jenkins said. “You take kids who have played against each other all season, but they’re still friends.
“They’re friends in church and school,” Jenkins added. “They’re all friends no matter what.”
Jenkins added one final ingredient.
“It’s not hard when you tell them they’re all-stars,” he said.
Jenkins’ McComb American All-Stars rallied for five runs in the fifth inning, then held on for a 12-9 victory over the Summit All-Stars in 8-year-olds Coach Pitch action Friday at the Windsor Gay Youth Complex.
The game was a see-saw affair throughout, with Summit scoring three runs in the top of the fifth for a 9-7 lead.
After one-out singles by Cooper Moak, Austin Griffin and Dustin Holmes loaded the bases, Conner Wilson followed with a two out single to center that was misplayed, allowing all three runners to score.
Then came McComb American’s game-changing bottom of the fifth that included six hits, four of which drove in runs.
Keegan Roberts and Canden Grantham singled to lead off the inning. One out later, Kody Jenkins ripped a double to the left-center field gap that scored Roberts and cut the margin to 9-8.
Grantham scored the game-tying run on Josh Henderson’s single to left-center. The base hit was misplayed in the outfield, plating Jenkins and Henderson, and putting McComb American ahead 11-9.
Whitaker was thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a triple, with Summit third baseman Cody Roberts taking the throw from second baseman J.T. McCaffery and applying the tag to Whitaker.
McComb American’s final run of the game came when Aidan Jenkins reached on an error and scored on LaDarrion Felder’s double to right.
“That was a well-played game by both teams,” Summit head coach Tate McCaffery said. “They had some big hits at big times. They won the game by hitting the ball.”
McComb American took a 1-0 first-inning lead on singles by Roberts, Grantham and Kody Jenkins.
Summit took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second on singles from Luke Weber and Gavin Brogden, a McComb American fielding error and Cody Roberts’ RBI groundout.
McComb American reclaimed the lead in the top of the second. With one out, Felder blooped a single to right, went to second on Dylan Fair’s two-out single to right and scored from second when Gatlin East beat out an infield single to tie the game at 2. Fair came home when Davin Hughes’ infield pop fly was dropped, putting McComb American ahead 3-2.
Summit tallied a four-run bottom of the second to grab a seemingly commanding 6-3 advantage. The runs came off singles by Cooper Moak, Austin Griffin, Dustin Holmes, Conner Wilson and three McComb American errors.
The lead, however, did not stand. McComb American grabbed back the lead with its own four-run inning in the third.
Roberts singled to lead off and scored on Grantham’s double to deep center, trimming the margin to 6-4.
After Andrew Durr’s infield single put runners at the corners, Kody Jenkins’ single to center plated Grantham to make it 6-5.
One out later, Whitaker roped a single inside the third-base bag to score Durr with the tying run. Kody Jenkins scored when Aidan Jenkins reached on an error that put McComb American in front 7-6.
The loss did little to dim the pride of Tate McCaffery, who said he was proud of the chemistry his team rode through the tournament.
“We’ve got a great group of kids and great chemistry,” he said. “I’m proud of all of them. They played hard and they never gave up.”
After the game, both head coaches realized that the two teams could face each other again down the road.
“Everyone in the tournament realizes we’re someone to deal with,” McCaffery said. “We look forward to a rematch.”
Jenkins concurred.
“We’re going to see them again, I think,” he said. “We had some big hits today. We’re going to need that again next time.”
