By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
A large crowd on a warm summer Friday night was the scene at the sports complex behind Ripley High School on June 24 as the Southern Hills Youth League 10U Baseball tournament championship was on the line. The two combatants were just another chapter in an old Adams County rivalry as North Adams and Peebles met for the bragging rights of tourney champs. The teams had met in the regular season with Peebles coming out on top, but Friday night saw the tables turn as the North Adams squad rallied from an early deficit, got some clutch hitting, and hung on as the game’s two-hour time limit passed to post a 15-11 win and claim the 10U title.
Offense was the name of the game on Friday night as the two teams combined for 26 runs and scored in all but one half-inning of action. In the top of the first, the Devils struck for two runs off of Peebles starter K.J. McClary, but the Indians came back in the bottom half to post a six-spot off of North Adams starter Drew McCann.
A two-run single by North Adams’ Bryson Moore highlighted a three-run second for the Devils, but the Indians answered with two in their half to lead 8-5 after two frames.
In the top of the third, a singe, two walks, and another two-run single by Moore pulled North Adams within one, where they stayed as the Indians went scoreless in the bottom of the third. The Devils took the lead in the top half of the fourth as a walk and then an error on a ground ball off the bat of Zane Rothwell eventually resulted in two runs and a 9-8 North Adams lead. Peebles scored one in their fourth at-bat to send the game to what turned out to be the final inning in a 9-9 deadlock.
With Slade Abbott on the mound now for the Indians, the Devils put together a six-run inning of their own in the top of the fifth. A pair of walks and yet another two-run base hit by Moore got the scoring started, bring Chase Fossyl to the mound in relief, Fossyl struck out the first hitter he faced but then gave up an RBI single to McCann and then fanned the next hitter for the second out. That was followed by a walk to Rothwell and a base hit to Bryce Phelps. Keith Sowards reached on an error as another run scored and the Devils had pulled out to a 15-9 advantage.
As the clocked ticked towards the 8 p.m. deadline, the Indians made things very interesting in the bottom half of the fifth. With C.J. Boner on to pitch for North Adams, the Tribe strung together two singles and two walks with one out, scoring two runs and bringing the potential tying run to the plate with the bases loaded. Boner bore down and whiffed two of the game’s final three hitters as the time limit passed. The rules say that no new inning can begin after that limit expires and with that final strikeout, the Devils were able to celebrate a tournament championship and collect their championship rings in postgame ceremonies.
The winning Devils roster consisted of: Zane Rothwell, Corey Brown, Gage Sowards, Bryson Moore, C. j. Boner, Pierce Harper,Keith Sowards, Drew McCann, Bentley Parker, Jax Kingsley and Bryce Phelps.
The runner-up Indians roster consisted of: Chase Fossyl, Colton Burns, K.J.McClary, Slade Abbott, Brantley Myers, Brody West, Zander Applegate, Braylen Shiveley, Zane Scott, Collin Mullaly, Lincoln Mountjoy and Lyric Scott.