NORTON — It was all about offensive overload in Tuesday’s Cumberland District baseball semifinal between Eastside and Castlewood.
The Spartans scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning to claim a 17-16 victory in a game in which the teams combined for 33 runs and 27 hits.
Clay Ward had a two-run double and one out to fire Eastside even in the seventh. The throw took Ward to third base. Following an inside fly-out and a one-shot, he ended the contest scoring on a passed ball.
Jeremy Sexton paced a 17-hit Spartans onslaught by going 4 for 4, adding four RBIs and two runs in the process. Eli McCoy tripled and doubled in a 3-for-5 and 5 RBI performance that included three runs. Ward was 3-for-5 with two runs and a pair of RBIs.
Eastside, which overcame a 6-0 first-inning deficit, had two hits and two RBIs from Blake Jones and Tanner Perry. Will Johnson added two hits and a pair of runs.
Coleman Cook had two of 10 hits for the Blue Devils. Kaden Lasley and Ryan Salyers both had three RBIs and two runs with Robert Dishman at the wheel as a pair.
Castlewood broke a 14-14 tie with two sixth-inning runs.
Wednesday’s championship at 5 p.m. will pit Eastside against tournament host JI Burton or Rye Cove. A consolation game is scheduled for 11 a.m.
MOUNTAIN 7
Abingdon 9, John Battle 2
ABINGDON — Ethan Gibson has put his stamp firmly on this one.
Going 3 for 4 with two doubles, a home run, four RBIs and
two runs, Gibson also threw six solid innings as the Falcons got the job done in the Mountain 7 District Championship.
Gibson’s three-run home run gave his team a 6-1 advantage in the second inning. Additionally, he struck out six batters and limited John Battle to an earned run.
Abingdon’s Cole Lambert shone offensively, connecting for a home run in a 3-for-3 effort and 2 RBIs. Jack Ferguson, who scored twice and hit two runs, and Luke Bedwell each added two hits to the winning cause.
The Trojans received 3 for 4 screenings from Landon Odum and Will Purifoy.