WINTERVILLE — Washington got off to a sensational start in the Babe Ruth Southeast Regional tournament on Wednesday as both the 12U and 10U All-Stars won their first two games of pool play and have put themselves in excellent position to make the first cut, while the Washington 8U team lost a 13-12 heartbreaker to Wayne County in its first game. (The 8Us second game of began at 9 p.m. an ended past deadline.)
After cruising past Albemarle (Va.) 11-0 in five innings in their tourney opener, the 12U All-Stars were put to the test in the second game against Davidson County (N.C.) as they battled back from a four-run deficit to earn a thrilling 6-5 victory at the Sara Law Complex in Winterville.
Down 5-1, Washington chipped away at Davidson’s lead as it scored on wild pitches in the fourth and fifth inning and trailed 5-3 heading into the sixth and final inning.
The 12Us, which have never trailed by as many as four runs all summer, showed resiliency as pinch-hitter Briley Waters laid sown a perfect bunt along the first base line to score Meghan Horton. Two batters later, Hailey Harris drilled a two-run double to left with two outs to put the All-Stars up by one heading into the bottom of the sixth.
With a lead in hand, Beka Williams took the mound, and with solid defense behind her, recorded the final three outs of the game to give the All-Stars a 2-0 record heading into the second day of the tourney.
“Great teams find a way to win games when they’re not playing their best,” coach Seth Edwards said. “We did not have our best game tonight but we came through when we needed to.
“We had some clutch hits, and in that last inning we had some clutch defensive plays.”
Against Davidson, Meghan Moore, Kaitlyn Spain, Sydney Edwards, Waters and Harris each had a hit a piece, while sparkplug Sarah Lynch and Spain score twice and Edwards and Waters scored once.
In their first game, the 12U All-Stars got two hits apiece from Lynch and Mary Baker Dixon, while Chaliegh Baynor, Rachel Lang, Moore and Harris each had one.
The 10U All-Stars got off to a hot start as well as they begin the tournament with a 9-1 win over Winter Springs (Fla.) as pitchers Summer Campbell, Abbigail Tucker and Lily Wright combined to silence the opposing lineup, while the Washington bats struck for six runs in the second and three in the fifth.
“We’re just excited to win one game at a time and to win a game in the Southeast Regionals,” coach Dallis Tucker said. “It means that all the hard work these girls have done this summer has paid off.”
After the game Tucker praised the work of his hurlers.
“Summer, Abbigail and Lily did a great job of pitching inside and outside and were very effective in keeping the ball in control. They were magnificent,” Tucker said.
The 10U hitters were pretty awesome as well as Treasure Biggs led the way with three hits, while Campbell, Wright and Kaylee Elks each had two. Elizabeth Heath, Tucker, Desiree Mourizzio and Sydney Keech each had one.
In their second game, the 10U All-Stars rolled to a 12-3 victory over Warren County (Va.) as Campbell went 3-3 and Elizabeth Heath, Macy Main and Treasure Biggs each went 2-3 to lead the attack. Desiree Mourizzo, Emme Davis and Sydney Keech added a hit each in the win.
Playing against Wayne County, the 8U state champions, the Washington All-Stars slugged their way to an early lead but could not hold on to it as they fell 13-12 in their first game of pool play.
The 8Us climbed out to an 11-2 advantage but a ferocious nine-run rally by Wayne County in the bottom of the fifth tied the game up before it would eventually take the lead.
“The girls came out very strong both offensively and defensively,” assistant coach Franz Holscher said. “With the exception of one inning, they outplayed a team that went undefeated in the state tournament. We are extremely proud of how hard these girls worked and played.”
Offensively, the All-Stars were led by Kailey Harris and Leah Spencer who each went 3-4 and scored two runs, while Laci Campbell, Anna Taylor and Savanna Craft and Marry Emma Holscher each had two hits. Craft scored twice, while Campbell and Taylor crossed home once.
The 8U All-Stars will be back in action tonight when they play Virginia at 7 p.m., while the 12Us and 10Us will both resume the tourney at 11 a.m. against Brewton (Al.) and Santa Fe (Fl.), respectively.