Tournament of State Champions (8-10) 2018 Game Stories
TOSC (8-10) Game Stories Day 1
Game 1 - Goodlettsville Little League of Goodlettsville, Tennessee opened Tournament of State Champions play with a 18-3 win over Vinson Little League of Huntington, West Virginia. Tennessee rode the strength of 13 first inning runs to take the win. Tennessee was paced by Ethan Kelly (2-4), Justice Kihn (2-2), Tristen Jones (2-2) and Jackson Cothern (2-2, 2b) who each had a pair of hits. Other Tennessee hits came from Jakob Murphy (1-2), Bratcher Henry (1-3), Maddox Clark (1-2), Cooper Lamberth (1-2), and Carter Baskin (1-2). Harrison Riggs was 2-2 to lead West Virginia. Evan Hagley (1-2) and Parker Phillips (1-1) had the other West Virginia hits. Bratcher Henry was the mound winner for Tennessee.
Game 2 – Northwood Little League of Taylors, South Carolina got into the win column with a 3-1 win over Winston-Salem National Little League of Winston-Salem, North Carolina in the day’s second game. Each team had 2 hits in a game that saw North Carolina hold a 1-0 lead from the bottom of the first to the top of the fifth. South Carolina though scored 3 in the top of the fifth and held on for the win. Lane Myers and Lawson Shirley were each 1-2 to lead South Carolina. Both of North Carolina’s hits came from lead off man Ty Koonin who was 2-3. Jack Zadel pitched 4 innings of relief to take the win for South Carolina.
Game 3 – Northern Little League of Columbus, Georgia broke open a tight 8-8 game in the eighth with 6 big runs as they defeated Sarasota National Little League of Sarasota Florida by a score of 14-8. Florida jumped out to an 8-2 lead at the game’s midway point. Georgia chipped away at their deficit by scoring 4 in the fifth and 2 in the sixth to tie the game and put it in to extra innings. The Georgia state champions were paced by the bat of Jackson Kennedy who was 4-5 with a double to his credit. Carson Walker (2-5, 2b), Liam Hocutt (2-4, 2b), and Blaze Barber (2-5) also had big days with a pair of hits for each. Jaiden Jackson (1-5, 2b), Jai Jackson (1-3), Aiden Valente (1-2), Luke Scoggins (1-2), and Tate Saville had the other hits for Georgia. Four Florida players had a pair of hits each to lead their offense. These players were Ben Todd (2-4), Maddox Volk (2-5), Davin Davidson (2-4, 2b), and Jacob Zeman (2-5, 2b). Carson Walker, pitching 4 2/3 innings of relief, was the mound winner for Georgia.
Game 4 – Tuckahoe American Little League of Richmond, Virginia, in their first ever TOSC appearance, served notice they would be a force to be reckoned with as they defeated Huntsville Eastern Little League of Huntsville, Alabama by a score of 12 -0. Virginia scored 3 in first, followed that up with a big 8 run second, and tacked on 1 in the third as they defeated Alabama 12-0. Virginia was led by Vince Porcaro who was 2-3. Other Virginia hits came from Fred Dolan (1-2), Eli Macturk (1-2), Milan Larew (1-2, 2b), Dasch Cox (1-1), and Will Canfield (1-1, 2b). Vince Porcaro and Eli Macturk combined to hold Alabama hitless.
TOSC (8-10) Game Stories Day 2
Game 5 – After some heavy early morning rains day 2 of the Tournament of State Champions got underway with a great matchup between Northern Little League of Columbus, Georgia and Winston-Salem National Little League of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. After a back and forth game thoughout North Carolina squeaked out a 5-4 win. North Carolina held a 3-2 lead at the game’s midway point. 2 fifth inning runs by Georgia gave them a 4-3 lead going to the bottom of the fifth. North Carolina though was able to tie it in the fifth and win it in walkoff fashion in the bottom of the sixth. North Carolina was led by 4 hitters with a hit each. These hitters were Grayson Jones (1-2), Jack Galyon (1-3, 2b), James Dixson (1-3), and Gabe Diebler (1-2, 2b). Georgia was led by Jackson Kennedy (2-3) and Tripp Ellison (2-3). Other Georgia hits came from Jai Jackson (1-3, 2b), Dylan Johnson (1-3), Aiden Valente (1-1), and Tate Saville (1-2). Ty Koonin was the pitching winner for North Carolina.
Game 6 – Tuckahoe American Little League of Richmond, Virginia punched their ticket to the single elimination portion of the Tournament of State Champions with a 3-2 win over Vinson Little League of Huntington, West Virginia. West Virginia scored 2 in the first and tried to hold on but they gave up 1 in the fifth and 2 in the sixth to take the loss. Fred Dolan (2-3) led the way for Virginia. Other Virginia hits came from Judson Carithers (1-1, 2b), Alex Boyd (1-3), Eli Macturk (1-2), Milan Larew (1-3), Cameron Ireland (1-2), and Nathan Martin (1-2, 2b). West Virginia was led by Harrison Riggs who was 2-3 with a double. Gabe Chambers also had a big day as he went 2-2. Other West Virginia hits came from Isaiah Sanders (1-4), Jonah Harrold (1-2), Kaiden West (1-2), and Devon Howard (1-3). The winning pitcher for Virginia was Nathan Martin.
Game 7 – Northwood Little League of Taylors, South Carolina assured themselves a spot in the single elimination portion of the tournament as they defeated Sarasota National Little League of Sarasota, Florida by a score of 11-1. South Carolina jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead after an inning. After holding Florida scoreless in the second inning the game had a 1 hour and 57 minute lightning/rain delay. After play resumed Florida held South Carolina scoreless in the bottom of the second. When Florida didn’t score in the third South Carolina really got the bats going in the third as they scored 5 runs to go up 9-0. Florida scored 1 in the fourth but South Carolina ended it with 2 in the bottom of the fourth. Eli Headley was 2-2 to lead South Carolina. McLeod Darnell (1-2, 2b), Holden Koss (1-2), JC Nelson (1-2, 3b), Reeves Israel (1-2), Bennett Candler (1-1), and Lawson Shirley (1-3) had the other hits for South Carolina. Ben Todd (1-2), Maddox Volk (1-3), Davin Davidson (1-2), and Evan Whitlock (1-2) had the hits for Florida. The winning pitcher for South Carolina was Eli Headley.
Game 8 – Goodlettsville, Tennessee earned a ticket to the single elimination portion of the Tournament of State Champions by defeating Huntsville Eastern Little League of Alabama by a 11-1 count. Tennessee scored 1 in the first, 2 in both the second and third innings, and 6 in the fourth to take the win. Tennessee was led by Ethan Kelly (2-3, 2b), Cooper Lamberth (2-3, 2b), and Cameron Frontz (2-2). Jakob Murphy (1-2), and Tristen Jones (1-2) had the other hits for Tennessee. Connor Drake (2-3), and Will Carter (2-2) led Alabama. Grant Enfinger (1-2) and Nathan Moore (1-1) picked up the other Alabama hits. Jakob Murphy was the winning moundsman for Tennessee.
TOSC (8-10) Game Stories Day 3
Game 9 – South Carolina clinched a semifinal berth in the Tournament of State Champions (8-10) with a 6-5, 8 inning win over Virginia. Northwood, of Taylors, South Carolina held a 2-1 lead after an inning. Virginia though went ahead 5-2 with a 4 run second inning. South Carolina then scored 1 in the fourth to make it 5-3 before tying it in the sixth with two runs. South Carolina then won it with an 8th inning run. South Carolina was led by Lane Myers who was 3-4 and Jack Zadel who was also 3-4. Holden Koss also had a good game as he went 2-4. The other South Carolina hit came from Eli Headley who was 1-3. Vince Porcaro had a big 3-5 outing that included a double to lead Virginia. Eli Macturk (2-5, 2b) and Will Canfield (2-3, 2b) also had great efforts at the plate. Alex Boyd (1-4), Cameron Ireland (1-3), Judson Carithers (1-2), and Nathan Martin (1-2) had the other Virginia hits. The winning pitcher for South Carolina was Holden Koss.
Game 10 – Florida, in an outstanding effort, picked up their first win of the Tournament of State Champions by a7-4 count over Tennessee. Sarasota National Little League of Sarasota, Florida scored 7 in the first and Goodlettsville, Tennessee scored 4 in the third for all of the game’s scoring. Florida’s 8 hit attack was paced by Jacob Zeman who was 2-2. Steele Williams (1-2, 2b), Maddox Volk (1-3, 2b), Davin Davidson (1-3), Cooper Hamilton (1-2), Evan Whitlock (1-2), and Mason Ondercin (1-3) had the other Florida hits. Tennessee’s four hits were had by Maddox Clark (1-3, 2b), Tristen Jones (1-2), Carter Baskin (1-2), and Cameron Frontz (1-2). The winning pitcher for Florida was Jacob Zeman.
Game 11 – Northern Little League of Columbus, Georgia made their way in to the single elimination portion of the tournament with a 11-6 win over Huntsville Eastern Little League of Huntsville, Alabama. Alabama held a 3-2 lead at the game’s midway point but 8 Georgia runs in the bottom of the fourth sealed the win for Georgia. Jaiden Jackson (3-4, 2b) and Jackson Kennedy (3-4) had big days to lead Georgia. Luke Scoggins also had a solid outing as he was 2-3. Liam Hocutt (1-3), Jai Jackson (1-4), and Tate Saville (1-1) had the other Georgia hits. Alex Cothren (4-4, 2b) had a huge day to lead Alabama. Connor Drake had a great day as well as he was 2-4. Grant Enfinger (1-2) had the other Alabama hit. Jaiden Jackson was the game’s winning pitcher.
Game 12 – North Carolina needed a win over West Virginia and they got it as Winston-Salem National Little League of Winston-Salem, North Carolina defeated Vinson Little League of Huntington, West Virginia by a score of 12-2. North Carolina held a slim 2-0 advantage after 2 innings but a big 10 run third helped them put the game away. 8 different North Carolina players had a hit each to lead their attack. These players were Ty Koonin (1-3), Will Koonin (1-3, 3b), Greyson Jones (1-4), Jack Galyon (1-3), James Dixson (1-3), Grant Moya (1-2), Briggs Brown (1-1, 3b), and Lawson Adams (1-2). Harrison Riggs continued his hot hitting in the tournament for West Virginia by going 2-2. Other West Virginia hits came from Isaiah Sanders (1-3), Evan Hagley (1-3), Gabe Chambers (1-2), Elijah Richards (1-1, 2b.), and Zander Blankenship (1-1). The winning pitcher for North Carolina was James Dixson.
TOSC (8-10) Game Stories Day 4
Game 13 – In a rare TOSC quarterfinal game Northern Little League of Columbus, Georgia slipped past Goodlettsville Little League of Goodlettsville, Tennessee by a score of 2-1. After a rain delay of an even 3 hours these two teams put on quite a show. Fantastic defensive plays and great pitching dotted the box score of this game. Georgia had 2 second inning runs while Tennessee notched their lone tally in the fourth. Blaze Barber was 2-2 with a double to lead Georgia. Luke Scoggins (1-1), Liam Hocutt (!-2), and Jai Jackson (1-2, 2b) had the other hits for Georgia. Tennessee hits came from Jakob Murphy (1-3), Bratcher Henry (1-3), and Cooper Lambreth (1-2). Nathan Boatner pitched the complete game victory for Georgia utilizing only 52 pitches.
Game 14 – Winston- Salem National Little League of Winston-Salem, North Carolina got their ticket stamped to the TOSC championship game as they defeated Tuckahoe American Little League of Richmond, Virginia by a score of 6-4. North Carolina held a 4-0 lead at the game’s midway point. Virginia was able to slice the lead in half with 2 fourth inning runs making it 4-2. North Carolina plated 2 runs in the bottom half of the inning to restore their 4 run lead. 2 more Virginia runs in the top of the fifth weren’t enough as they ended up falling by 2 runs. Ty Koonin (1-3) and Lawson Adams (1-3) had the hits for North Carolina. Eli Macturk (1-2), Cameron Ireland (1-2, 2b), and Matthew Hartsfield (1-1) had the hits for Virginia. Greyson Jones was the mound winner for North Carolina.
Game 15 – In a most memorable semi final game Northwood Little League of Taylors, South Carolina scored 4 times in the bottom of the sixth inning to eke out a 4-3 win over Northern Little League of Columbus, Georgia. Georgia, playing their second game of the day, played masterful defense, complimented by outstanding pitching to hang on to a 1-0 lead from the second inning until the sixth inning. Leading 1-0 going to the top of the sixth Georgia plated 2 runs to grab what seemed to be an insurmountable 3-0 advantage going to the bottom of the sixth. South Carolina’s improbable 4 run explosion propelled the youngsters from the Palmetto State in to the championship game. Reeves Israel was 2-2 to lead South Carolina. Other South Carolina hits came from Logan Myers (1-2), Holden Koss (1-2), and Eli Headley who was 1-3 with a double. Georgia was led by Aiden Valente who was 2-3 and Tripp Ellison who was 2-2. Blaze Barber (1-3), Jaiden Jackson (1-4), and Glenn Edmondson (1-1) had the other Georgia hits. The winning pitcher for South Carolina was Bennett Candler.
Day 5 of the Tournament of State Champions (8-10)
Game 16 (Championship Game) – Winston-Salem National Little League of Winston-Salem, North Carolina defeated Northwood Little League of Taylors, South Carolina by a score of 8-6 to capture their first ever TOSC championship. North Carolina got on the board first with a run in the bottom of the second. They held on to this slim lead until the top of the fourth when South Carolina scored 6 times to take a commanding lead of 6-1. North Carolina then chipped away at their deficit as they scored 3 in the fourth to make it 6-4. .They then took the lead for good when they scored 4 in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead and then ultimately take the win. Ty Koonin was 3-3 to lead North Carolina. Will Koonin (1-4), James Dixson (1-3), and Gabe Diebler (1-3) had the other North Carolina hits. South Carolina’s 7 hit attack was paced by Eli Headley who was 2-3. Other South Carolina hits came from McLeod Darnell (1-3), Jack Kerscher (1-2), Holden Koss (1-3), Lane Myers (1-3, 2b), and JC Nelson (1-2). Ty Koonin was the game’s winning pitcher.
Day 1 of the 2017 Tournament of State Champions (8-10)
Game 1 – San Carlos Little League of Fort Myers, Florida opened TOSC play with a 15-12 win over Northwood Little League of Taylors, South Carolina. This game was a back and forth affair that had that saw scoring in every inning but the fourth. Each team scored 4 times in the first. Florida then scored 3 in the bottom of the second to go up 7-4. South Carolina cut it to 7-6 before Florida scored 4 times in the bottom of the third to go up 11-6. A six run uprising by South Carolina in the tip of the fifth gave them a 12-11 lead. Four Florida runs in the bottom of the fifth gave them the lead and a 15-12 win. Landon Ide had a monster day 4-4 with 2 grand slams and 11 RBI to lead Florida. Derek Hernandez, Jr (2-2, 2b) and Angel Moreno (2-2, 2b) also had solid days. Rylan Stewart was 1-3 to round out the Florida offense. Lane Myers (2-3) and McLeod Darnell (2-3. HR) had a pair of hits each to lead South Carolina. Gavin Weidman (1-3), Cooper Noble (1-3), Dawson Siffri (1-3, 2b), Eli Headley (1-2) and Lawson Shirley (1-3) had the other South Carolina hits. The winning pitcher for Florida was Angel Moreno.
Game 2 – Vienna American Little League of Vienna, Virginia won their pool play opener over Tullahoma, Tennessee by a score of 4-1. Virginia scored 1 in the first and 3 in the third. Tennessee scored their lone run in the third. Niko Papathanasiou was 1-3 with a double to lead Virginia. Kyle Tyrell (1-3), Giacomo Jreige (1-3), and Mark DePaul (1-1) had the other hits for Virginia. Sam Bobo was 2-2 with a double to lead Tennessee. Hunter Hogan (1-2), Trevor Cole (1-3, 2b), and Xavier Harrell (1-2, HR) had the other hits for Tennessee. The winning pitcher was Niko Papathanasiou.
Game 3 – Northern Little League of Columbus, Georgia picked up an impressive 13-3 victory over Tar Heel Little League of Greenville, North Carolina. Georgia jumped out to a 2-0 lead after an inning and held that lead until the top of the third. North Carolina then scored 3 time in the top of the third to take a 3-2 lead. Georgia tied it in the third and then exploded for 7 in the fourth. They were able to put the game away with a 3 run fifth. Georgia was led by the Freiberg brothers who combined to go 7-7 with 3 doubles and 4 singles between them. Ashton Weeks also had a solid outing as he was 2-3 with a homer. Other hits came from Ben Green (1-4), Joriyen Luke-Gordon (1-2), Ja’Keith Tolbert (1-2), and Kason Hicks (1-2). North Carolina had 5 players with a hit each to provide their offense. These players were Derrion Geddis (1-2, HR), Parker Watson (1-3, 2b), James Sawyer (1-3) and Max Mason (1-1). Collin Freiberg was the mound winner for Georgia.
Game 4 – Ladonia Little League of Phenix City, Alabama erased a 1 run sixth inning deficit by scoring 9 times in the top of the sixth to take a 15-8 win over Barboursville (West Virginia) Little League. West Virginia led 6-4 at the midway point of the game but Alabama was able to knot the game at 6 by scoring 2 in the top of the fourth. West Virginia pulled ahead by a run in the bottom of the fifth setting up Alabama’s big top of the sixth. Holden Dean led Alabama offensively by going 2-4 with a double. Brayden Vachon (1-1), Jason Rowe (1-3), and Camron Gonzalez (1-2) had the other Alabama hits. West Virginia was led by Cole Ferguson and Cade Johnson who each went 2-4. One of Ferguson’s hits was a home run. Other West Virginia hits came from Bryson Shirkey (1-3), Corey Otzenberger (1-4), and Blake Childers (1-2). Holden Dean was the mound winner for Alabama.
Day 2 of the 2017 Tournament of State Champions (8-10)
Game 5 – Tar Heel Little League of Greenville, North Carolina rode the strength of an 11 run fourth inning to take a 12-3 win over Vienna American Little League of Vienna, Virginia. The game was scoreless after 2 innings. Virginia scored 2 in the top of the third to go up 2-0. North Carolina cut their deficit in half by scoring 1 in the bottom of the frame to make the score 2-1. Virginia reestablished their 2 run lead with a single run in the top of the fourth. North Carolina then had their 11 run inning which put the game out of reach. Davis Bradley was 3-4 with a home run and Justin Grimes was 3-4 with a double to lead North Carolina. Parker Watson and James Sawyer also had good days as each was 2-3 with a double. Jack West (1-2, 2b), Derrion Geddis (1-2), and Andrew Knight-Hyatt (1-2) had the other hits for North Carolina. Zach Hansen led Virginia by going 3-4. Niko Papathanasiou also had a good day as he was 2-3. Other Virginia hits came from Kyle Tyrrell (1-3, 2b), Aidan Kim (1-1) and Mark DePaul (1-4). Spencer Bradley was the winning pitcher for North Carolina.
Game 6 – Barboursville Little League of Barboursville, West Virginia earned their league’s first ever TOSC win as they defeated San Carlos Little League of Fort Myers, Florida by a score of 7-3. Florida scored 2 in the top of the second but West Virginia answered with 3 of their own to make it 3-2 after 2. West Virginia added a run in the bottom of the third to expand their lead to 4-2 at the game’s midway point. Florida made it 4-3 with a run in the tip of the fifth but West Virginia answered with 3 runs in the bottom of the fifth to put the game on ice. Cade Johnson (2-3), Cole Ferguson (2-3, 2b, 3b) and Riley Bowles (2-3, 2b) each had 2 hits to pace the West Virginia offense. Other hits for West Virginia came from Bryson Shirkey (1-2), Corey Otzenberger (1-2, 2b), Grady Paynter (1-1) and Wyatt Goad (1-2). Rylan Stewart was 2-2 to lead Florida. Other Florida hits came from Jacob Estrada (1-4), Landon Ide (1-3), Angel Moreno (1-3), Nicholas Raber (1-2), Noah Kiefer (1-2), and Dane Heil (1-2). Cade Johnson was the game’s winning pitcher.
Game 7 – In what was the longest game in Greenville Tournament of State Champions history Northern Little League of Columbus, Georgia outlasted Tullahoma Little League of Tullahoma, Tennessee by a score of 7-3 in 12 innings. Each team threatened numerous times and had the winning run in scoring position several times in innings 7-11 before Georgia pushed across 4 in the top of the 12th to take the win. Georgia took a 2-0 lead after 3 innings. Tennessee tied it with 2 in the fourth and then scored 1 in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead.. Georgia pushed across a run to re tie the game in the top of the sixth before the scoring simply came to a standstill for inning after inning. The big scoreboard’s inning by inning feature blanked out as the innings accumulated. Nobody had ever seen that happen in the scoreboard’s 8th season here. Carter Freiberg (2-4) and Collin Freiberg (2-5) each had a pair of hits to lead Georgia. Other Georgia hits came from Ben Green (1-5), Ashton Weeks (1-3, 2b), Ashton Herring (1-4), and Ja’Keith Tolbert (1-5). Tennessee was led by Hunter Hogan who was 3-5 with 2 doubles. Jakoby Hill had a good day as well as he was 2-2. 6 other Tennessee players had a hit each. These players were Sam Bobo (1-4), Alex Bobo (1-6), Joshua Rabassa (1-4, 2b), Sky Richter (1-4), Xavier Farrell (1-4), and Davis Wenger (1-2). The winning pitcher for Georgia was Ashton Weeks.
Game 8 – Northwood Little League of Taylors, South Carolina evened their pool play mark at 1-1 as they defeated Ladonia Little League of Phenix City, Alabama by a score of 13-0. South Carolina scored 1 in the first 6 in the second and 6 in the third. Cooper Noble (3-3, 3b) and Dawson Siffri (3-3) led the potent South Carolina attack. Other hits for South Carolina came from Gavin Weidman (1-1, 2b), Lane Myers (1-3), Gregory Bryant (1-2, 2b), Aaron Lopez (1-1), Peter Morse (1-1) and Lawson Shirley (1-1). Dylan Daugherty (1-2) and Camron Gonzalez (1-1) had the hits for Alabama. The winning pitcher for South Carolina was Aaron Lopez. The TOSC staff thanks all of the umpires, players, parents, fans, coaches, and managers for their absolute patience in working their way through a trying evening. This game was delayed for more than an hour at the outset (because of the 12 inning game in front of it) and had a 2 hour and 36 minute delay for lightning which ultimately caused the game to finish at 11:30 PM. This concluded quite an interesting day of baseball.
Day 3 of the 2017 Tournament of State Champions (8-10)
Game 9 – Tullahoma Little League of Tullahoma, Tennessee pounded out 21 hits on the way to a 17-1 win over Barboursville (WV) Little League. Tennessee scored in every inning but the second as they took the win. Tennessee was led by. Tennessee was led by Trevor Cole who was 4-5 with a home run. Xavier Farrell had a good day as well as he was 3-4. Sam Bobo was another Tennessee player who had a good day as he was 3-4 with 2 two baggers. A pair of Tennessee hits came from Hunter Hogan who was 2-5 with a double, Joshua Rabassa (2-5, 2b, HR), Jakoby Hill (2-3). Other Tennessee players with hits were Alex Bobo (1-3), Caiden Mears (1-1), Davis Wenger (1-1), Grayson Waller (1-4), and Sky Richter (1-3, HR). Grady Paynter (1-1) and Cole Ferguson (1-2, 3b) had the hits for West Virginia. The winning pitcher was Sam Bobo.
Game 10 – Northwood Little League of Taylors, South Carolina won their second game in pool play as they defeated Northern Little League of Columbus, Georgia by a score of 8-6. South Carolina did all of their damage in the first three innings as they scored 1 in the first, 4 in the second, and 3 in the third. Georgia countered with 2 in the third, 3 in the fourth, and 1 in the sixth. Cooper Noble (2-3, 2b), Lawson Shirley (2-2) and Gavin Weidman (2-4, 2b) had a pair of hits each to lead South Carolina. Other players from South Carolina with hits were Dawson Siffri (1-2), Lane Myers (1-3), and McLeod Darnell (1-2). Carter Freiberg was 4-4 to lead Georgia. Ashton Weeks also had a huge game as he was 3-3 with a double. Ben Green was solid as well as he was 2-4 with a double. Collin Freiberg (1-4, 2b) and Camden Houston (1-4) had the other Georgia hits. The winning pitcher for South Carolina was Bennett Chandler.
Game 11 – Tar Heel Little League of Greenville, North Carolina punched their ticket to the single elimination portion of the Tournament of State Champions by defeating Ladonia Little League of Phenix City, Alabama by a score of 7-1. A Holden Dean (1-1) first inning home run gave Alabama an early 1-0 lead. North Carolina scored 5 runs in the second and 2 in the third to take a 7-1 lead at the game’s midway point. There were no runs scored after the third inning. Jason Rowe (2-3) and Evan Long (1-3) had the other hits for Alabama. North Carolina was led by Justin Grimes (2-4), Davis Bradley (2-3), and Derrion Geddis (2-2, 2b). James Sawyer (1-3, 2b), Jack West (1-2, 2b), Ryker Butcher (1-1), and Andrew Knight-Hyatt (1-1, 2b) had the other hits for North Carolina. The winning pitcher for North Carolina was Parker Watson.
Game 12 – Vienna American Little League of Vienna, Virginia earned a trip to the semifinals as they defeated San Carlos Little League of Fort Myers, Florida by a score of 6-3. Virginia stormed out to a 5-0 lead after 2 innings of play but Florida chipped away at that lead by scoring 1 in the fourth before adding 2 more in the fifth. In the meantime Virginia was only able to add 1 more run to that initial 5 run outburst and Florida had a shot, down 3 going to the bottom of the sixth. Virginia held them off though and secured the win. Zach Hansen was 2-3 with a home run to lead Virginia. Other Virginia hits came from Giacomo Jreige (1-3), Kyle Tyrrell (1-3) and Oliver Smith (1-1). Florida was led by Angel Moreno who was 2-3 with a double. Nicholas Raber was 1-2 to round out Florida’s offense. Niko Papathanasiou was the game’s winning pitcher.
Day 4 of the 2017 Tournament of State Champions (8-10)
Game 13 - Semi Final Day of the 2017 8-10 Tournament of State Champions began with a 13-2 North Carolina win over Virginia. Virginia jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but North Carolina answered quicky with 3 in the bottom of the first. North Carolina then scored 4 in the second and 6 in the third while holding Virginia scoreless over the rest of the game. Justin Grimes (3-3, 2b) and James Sawyer (3-3, 2 2b) led North Carolina. Parker Watson (2-2) and Davis Bradley (2-3) also had good days. Other North Carolina players with hits included Jack West (1-2, 2b), Derrion Geddis (1-3), Christian LoPresti (1-2), Ryker Butcher (1-1), Max Mason (1-2), Andrew Knight-Hyatt (1-1), and Joyner Haddock (1-1). Kyle Tyrrell (1-2), Mark DePaul (1-2), Oliver Smith (1-1), and Aidan Kim (1-1) had the hits for Virginia. The winning pitcher for North Carolina was Davis Bradley.
Game 14
Northwood Little League of Taylors, South Carolina earned a trip to the finals of the Tournament of State Champions by defeating Northern Little League of Columbus, Georgia 6-5. Georgia scored 1 in the first but South Carolina answered with 2 quick runs to make it 2-1 after an inning. Neither team scored again until the fifth when Georgia was able to push a run across to knot the game at 2. South Carolina exploded for 4 in the bottom of the fifth to seemingly put the game out of reach. Georgia’s resilient squad put 3 on the board in the top of the sixth before ultimately falling short. Lane Myers led South Carolina by going 3-3 with a double. Gavin Weidman (2-3) and Cooper Noble (2-4) had big games as well. Dawson Siffri (1-4), Eli Headley (1-3), and Lawson Shirley (1-2) had the other South Carolina hits. Collin Freiberg (2-3) and Ben Green (2-3) led Georgia. Camden Houston (1-2), Nick Slouchick (1-2) and Ashton Herring (1-2) had the other Georgia hits. Cooper Noble was the mound winner for South Carolina.
Day 5 of the 2017 Tournament of State Champions
Game 15
(Championship) – Tar Heel Little League of Greenville, NC captured North Carolina’s second (East Surry 2015) Tournament of State Champions (8-10) title by defeating Northwood Little League of Taylors, South Carolina by a score of 11-7. Each team entered the day’s action on a 3 game winning streak and each team had a3-1 mark in this year’s tournament. Both teams suffered tournament opening day losses (North Carolina lost to Georgia and South Carolina lost to Florida) but were able to fight back to get to the finals. Today’s game featured 26 total hits and a lot of offensive fireworks. North Carolina scored 4 quick runs in the top of the first to take the lead. South Carolina answered in their half of the frame with 2 runs to make it 4-2 after an inning. Neither team scored in the second setting up a big third for each team. North Carolina scored 3 to seemingly take command of the game by establishing a 7-2 lead. The resilient South Carolina team came back quickly by notching 5 runs in the bottom of the third to knot the game at 7 at the midway point. North Carolina inched ahead again by scoring 1 in the fourth and 3 in the fifth to go up 11-7 going to the sixth. Neither team scored in the sixth allowing North Carolina to secure the championship. North Carolina was led by the trio of Justin Grimes (3-5, 2b), Davis Bradley (3-3, 2b, HR), and Derrion Geddis (3-3, HR). James Sawyer also had a big day as he was 2-4. Other North Carolina players with hits included Parker Watson (1-4), Jack West (1-3), Ryker Butcher (1-2), and Max Mason (1-3). Cooper Noble continued his hot hitting as he led South Carolina with a 4-4 performance. Noble finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Dawson Siffri also had a huge outing as he was 3-4. Eli Headley had a pair of hits (2b, HR) in 4 trips to supplement South Carolina’s offense. Other South Carolina players with hits were Bennett Candler (1-2) and Gavin Weidman (1-2). James Sawyer was the winning pitcher for North Carolina.