Published: July 09, 2009 02:24 am      

LITTLE LEAGUE: Jeff/GRC 13-14 baseball wins marathon game with unbeaten HYR

CLARKSVILLE — The Jeff/GRC 13-14 baseball team’s performance on Wednesday in the District V tournament at Clarksville Little League Park might not have been the prettiest display of baseball.

But it got the job done.

In a game that lasted three hours and 25 minutes, Jeff/GRC blew a nine-run lead, but held on to defeat previously undefeated Highlander Youth Recreation, 17-15. Both teams are now 2-1 and in a three-way tie for second place in the pool standings with Silver Creek. New Albany is currently in first place at 3-0.

“It was a must-win,” Jeff/GRC manager Richard Blackburn said. “It was now or never. We couldn’t afford to lose another game.”

Jeff/GRC scored 11 runs in the first three innings. It began the game with a three-run first frame. After HYR scored two in the bottom of the first, Jeff/GRC scored six in the second and two in the third to go up 11-2.

HYR started its rally in the bottom of the third with five runs to slice its deficit to 11-7. That was followed by three more scores in the fourth to pull within one at 11-10.

HYR deadlocked the game at 11 in the bottom of the sixth. Mike Springer led off the inning with an opposite-field double to right field. After Garrett Ruttle walked, Springer then stole third base and came home when the catcher’s throw to third went into left field.

But a poised Jeff/GRC squad responded in the top of the seventh with six runs to go up 17-11.

Joshua Cissell put Jeff/GRC up 12-11 by scoring on a Ruttle wild pitch. Then teammate Matthew Cardwell scored on another wild pitch, and Mark Meyer delivered an RBI single to left to give Jeff/GRC a 14-11 advantage. Jeff/GRC scored three more times after that.

“We got them in the dugout and told them they have to come alive now,” Blackburn said to his team prior to the seventh. “They stepped up and came through. It was an ugly game. Passed balls hurt us. (HYR) scored seven runs off passed balls and wild pitches.”

HYR tallied four runs in the bottom of the seventh, three coming with none out, but could not get any closer.

Jeff/GRC’s Steven Davis went 3-for-5 with four stolen bases and three runs scored. He also was the winning pitcher. Cissell and teammates Joshua Phelps and Marcus Gray each had two hits.

Springer was the only HYR multihit player with two hits. Ruttle was the losing pitcher.

• Clarksville 10, Charlestown 0: In a five-inning affair, Clarksville starter Aaron Lawson pitched a one-hit shutout with five strikeouts.

Lawson also helped himself at the plate with two hits and two runs scored. Nathaniel Jones had three runs scored and collected two hits for Clarksville (1-3).

Daniel Kent was the losing pitcher for Charlestown (0-4), allowing nine hits in four innings with two strikeouts.



11-12 SOFTBALL

• Silver Creek 8, Charlestown 2: McKenzie Bush tossed a three-hitter with five strikeouts to lead Silver Creek past Charlestown.

Both teams finished pool play 3-1 and ended in a first-place tie with Jeff/GRC, which beat Clarksville 6-0 on Wednesday. Silver Creek earned first place in the pool by earning the lowest runs-allowed-per-game tiebreaker.

It will have a rematch with Charlestown in the division championship at 8 p.m. Saturday. Charlestown got the championship berth by winning a head-to-head tiebreaker with Jeff/GRC.

Kelsey Roark paced the Creek bats with three hits and two runs scored. She had two doubles. Teammates Heather Knight and Bailey Popp collected two hits. Charlestown’s Kaitlyn Henning got the loss on the mound.

• Jeff/GRC 6, Clarksville 0: Jeff/GRC closed out tournament play with another stellar pitching performance by Emily Gray.

The right-hander tossed her second no-hitter this week, striking out 15 and walking two. Gray nearly threw a perfect game in Monday’s 6-0 triumph over HYR, as she struck out 17.

Gray also had two hits and two RBIs against Clarksville (0-4). Teammate Victoria Flaten smacked two hits and drove in three runs. Kallie Wisdom was the losing pitcher.



11-12 BASEBALL

• HYR 12, Clarksville 1, five innings: HYR upped its record to 4-0 by crushing Clarksville (0-4).

HYR’s Brandon Smith led off the game with a solo home run. He collected three hits with a triple. HYR starter Trey Fulton earned the victory.

Clarksville’s Cody Razer smacked two hits with a double. Teammate Justin Lind got the loss on the hill.

• Silver Creek 5, Charlestown 4: Silver Creek (2-1) won its second consecutive contest in pool play. Creek scored four runs in the top of the second, and Dalton Smith put it up 5-2 in the top of the fifth with a solo shot.

Creek’s Jacob Steele pitched five innings to get the victory. For Charlestown (0-3), Creighton Rudolph was the losing pitcher and Hunter Probus had two hits.



9-10 SOFTBALL

• Clarksville 16, Jeff/GRC 4, four innings: Clarksville opened up District V play by scoring 10 runs in the first inning.

For the game, Clarksville took advantage of 14 walks while collecting just four hits. Clarksville’s Courtney Holmes scored three runs and teammate MacKenzie Glover had a double.

Bailey Sharp was the winning pitcher. In a complete-game effort, she gave up two hits and struck out eight. Jeff/GRC pitcher Demetria Towns earned the setback. Jeff/GRC is now 1-1.



9-10 BASEBALL

• New Albany 6, Silver Creek 1: In the tournament opener for both teams, New Albany pitcher Chase Rudy got the win by pitching three scoreless innings.

New Albany’s Elijah Coker and Sean Morris each collected two hits. Silver Creek smacked only three hits, and Samuel Barnett scored the team’s lone run in the sixth.



WEDNESDAY SCOREBOARD

11-12 SOFTBALL

Jeff/GRC 6, Clarksville 0

Silver Creek 8, Charlestown 2

11-12 BASEBALL

Silver Creek 5, Charlestown 4

HYR 12, Clarksville 1

13-14 BASEBALL

Jeff/GRC 17, HYR 15

Clarksville 10, Charlestown 0

9-10 SOFTBALL

Clarksville 16, Jeff/GRC 4

9-10 BASEBALL

New Albany 6, Silver Creek 1



WEDNESDAY’S STARS

• Emily Gray, Jeff/GRC 11-12 softball: no-hitter (second this week), 15 strikeouts, two walks; two hits, two RBIs.

• Steven Davis, Jeff/GRC 13-14 baseball: 3-for-5, four stolen bases, three runs scored, winning pitcher.

• Kelsey Roark, Silver Creek 11-12 softball: three hits, two doubles, two RBIs.

• Brandon Smith, HYR 11-12 baseball: three hits, solo home run, triple.

• Aaron Lawson, Clarksville 13-14 baseball: complete-game, one-hit shutout, five strikeouts; two hits, two runs scored.