The Pike County 10-year-old American League Dixie Youth baseball all-stars dropped a three-game series to Lincoln American 2-1 in the district tournament championship after splitting two contests at Windsor Gay Youth Complex in Summit Saturday.
Pike County won the first game Saturday 12-8 and lost the second 17-4 in four innings. The American League will still be in the state tournament in Kosciusko. The first game is at 8 p.m. Friday against the host Kosciusko.
J.R. Lott pitched a complete game for Pike County in the win as it jumped out to an 8-1 lead after four innings.
Cor’Tilleous “Hurricane” Nicholas doubled, while Cam Jones, Myles Foil and Nathan Hughes all singled to put Pike County ahead 3-0 in the bottom of the first.
“The first game, we battled the whole game,” Pike County head coach Keith Hughes said. “I have to give my hats off to J.R. Lott. He pitched a full game six innings. We had multiple hits by I know at least three kids.”
Nicholas, Jones and Nathan Hughes all had multiple hits, but Coach Hughes said contributions came from up and down the lineup.
“Everybody contributed offensively in that game,” the Pike County head coach said.
One run scored in the second inning as Colton Frith walked, Lott singled and Brock Moreno reached on a bunt single. Frith was forced out at home, but Lott scored on a wild pitch.
Colin Doyle led off the bottom of the third with a walk and scored on a Nicholas groundout. Ty Golmon hit a two-run single off the center field wall in the inning to score Jones, who singled, and Nathan Hughes, who doubled. That extended Pike County’s lead to 7-1.
Moreno and J.T. Paulk singled in the bottom of the fourth. Moreno scored on a Jake Stringer single to put Pike County ahead 8-1.
After Lincoln American cut Pike County’s lead to 8-5, the American League put together a four-run bottom of the fifth to go ahead 12-5.
Nathan Hughes hit a two-run single scoring Nicholas, who doubled, and Jones, who walked. Hughes scored on a Golmon infield single. Golmon scored on a Lott one-run double to center field.
Paulk, Golmon, Nicholas, Nathan Hughes, Frith and Stringer pitched for Pike County in the 17-4 loss.
“They got ahead of us. We just couldn’t come from behind. We walked nine batters and hit three,” Coach Hughes said, adding the Lincoln American team hit well.
Pike County scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth, as Nicholas, Jones and Golmon all had hits. There was also a walk in the inning.
While things did not go as planned, Coach Hughes had all praise for his team.
“Overall, I’m proud of the team,” he said.
Pike County drops Game 1, 10-9
Pike County and Lincoln American went back and forth in the series opener at the Lincoln Civic Center in Brookhaven Friday, but Lincoln came from behind with a four-run bottom of the sixth to win 10-0.
Pike County trailed 6-5 going into the top of the sixth inning, but scored four runs in the frame to go ahead 9-6.
Going into his second inning of work, Pike County pitcher Golmon gave up a walk going into the bottom of the sixth. Trey Brumfield walked two of the next three batters to load the bases with one out.
Lincoln American tied things up on singles for two runs and then one run. With one out, the Lincoln American batter grounded out to second baseman Paulk, as the runner on third came home to win the game.
“They knew the situation because we had just walked to them and told them,” Coach Hughes said. “I had walked out and called a timeout and told them the situation and stuff like that. Then it came up again. They just didn’t execute. Bottom line, we just didn’t execute when we needed to.”
Pike County’s first two runs in the top of the sixth came on a Nathan Hughes two-run double scoring Nicholas, who walked, and Jones, who singled. Jones scored on a passes ball, while Nathan Hughes scored on a Golmon groundout.
Doyle was the starting pitcher for Pike County, while Frith came in with two outs in the bottom of the second.
Coach Hughes said his pitchers gave up around three earned runs, but several errors proved costly.
“I stress fundamental defense, and tonight we didn’t play fundamental defense,” he said. “We were erratic at times on defense, gave up a few runs.”
He said he was proud of his team for scoring four runs against Lincoln American pitcher Elijah Calcote in the top of the sixth.
Calcote, who went 51⁄3 innings and pitched three complete games for his all-star team, was the best 10-year-old pitcher Pike County faced, according to Coach Hughes.
