July 1, 2017. Center Lion’s Ballpark – Three local teams played Saturday in Dixie Baseball League Tournament games in Center.
Center’s 6-and-under Division I T-ball team was tied 13-13 with Athens midway through their opening game of the tournament, but later blew the game wide open by scoring five runs off of a Cooper Crawford triple, and base hits by teammates Shade McDonald and Joseph Mitchell. This gave Center a 18-13 advantage at the end of the third inning.
Athens scored three runs of their own to pull to within two points at 16-18 going into the bottom of the fourth inning.
Center’s Easton Jones led off, what would prove to be the fourth and final inning, with a double. Jaylen Henderson scored Jones with a single to left field. Teammates Canon Dixon, Kason Radney, Jakobe Evans, Collin Chandler, Braylon Williams, and Cooper Crawford all added hits in a rally which forced officials to enforce the leagues mercy rule and end the contest. The team will move on to face the winner of a later contest at 1 pm Sunday.
Shelbyville’s Coach Pitch Division II team faced Fairfield on Saturday. Shelbyville gained an early 7-0 lead with first inning scores from Gavin McDonald, Jackson Holloway, Bryant Scarborough, Dallas Murry, Jerrick Hargrove, Carson Copeland, and Jenson Raymond.
Things only got worse for Fairfield as they only managed one run and three hits, in what would prove to be 12-1win for the Shelbyville team. Shelbyville plays the winner of the Corrigan-Arp contest at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Center’s Coach Pitch Division I tried to complete the “Shelby County Sweep” by being the final area team to play for the day. Center led 4-3 in the fifth inning but Bullard came back late to steal a 6-5 win, and caused Center to play a second game on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
