Washington White 10U scoots past Chocowinity in seesaw matchup

Published 3:57 pm Saturday, July 8, 2017

Washington White’s 10U all stars broke through with a pair of runs in the first inning on Saturday morning. Chocowinity answered back with two runs of its own, setting the table for a seesaw matchup between the Beaufort County clubs.

The game was tied three times over the course of six innings, but Washington used a six-run fourth inning to take a 10-9 lead at the time, and ultimately won, 14-11.

T.J. Minor slides into home, beating the throw, to score a run against Washington White.

Chocowinity had just broken a 4-4 tie with five runs in the bottom of the third — four of which were scored with two outs. Jacob Taylor drew a leadoff walk and ended up coming in on a passed ball. Joseph Caparossi and Jason Hunt each scored on passed balls, too. With two in scoring position, Cutter Williams stepped up and ripped a single back up the middle to plate T.J. Minor and Luke Bullock.

PHOTOS: Washington White, Chocowinity 10U baseball

It felt like momentum had shifted Chocowinity’s way after two innings of even play. Chocowinty, facing the bottom third of Washington’s lineup in the top of the fourth, retired the first two batters it faced.

Washington found some two-out magic of its own, though. Anderson Thomas, Tres Willard, Holden Boykin and Sawyer Vosburgh notched consecutive base hits that produced two runs. Mason Rhem and Oliver Thomas tapped into some power with back-to-back doubles that pushed across three more runs to tie the game. Wells Eagle gave Washington the lead with single to right field.

Washington, looking to add to its lead in the fifth, faced a new Chocowinity pitcher in Williams. He fanned the first two batters he faced, but conceded an RBI double to Boykin. The hit to centerfield let Willard score to push Washington’s lead to 11-9.

Chocowinity drew even in the bottom of the frame. Minor drew a one-out walk and used his speed to round the bases on a single to right field off the bat of Bullock. Williams’ sacrifice fly was enough to tie the game at 11 apiece.

Back-to-back leadoff hits by Rhem and Thomas helped Washington quickly reclaim the lead. Both scored on a combination of a passed ball and an error. Adam Mizale’s groundout gave Jerry Keimig an opening to score, giving Washington a 14-11 lead.

Keimig struck out the side in order in the bottom of the sixth to seal the win.