By By Marty Stamper/EMG sports assistant
June 23, 2002
District Six advanced to the gold medal round of the State Games baseball tournament with a 3-1 win over District Eight Saturday night.
With a rain delay of over two hours halting play Saturday afternoon and a drizzle falling Saturday night, the late game between District One and District Four was postponed until 10 a.m. today.
If District One wins, it will advance to the gold medal round at 1 p.m. If District Four wins, there will be a contest between those same two teams at 1 p.m. with the winner to meet District Six for the gold medal at 4 p.m.
District Six 3
District Eight 1
District Six shook off a lengthy rain delay to advance to today's gold medal round.
District Six took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as Justin Henry of Vicksburg hit a one-out double and scored on a single by Logan Power of Hillcrest Christian School.
District Six doubled its lead in the second inning as Dillon Sudduth of Madison Central hit a two-out single, stole second, and came home on a single by Clinton's Mike Cashion.
District Six added another run in the fourth. Kyle Bridges reached on an error and scored on Henry's one-out single.
Meanwhile, Andrew Simmons of Warren Central was keeping District Eight off the scoreboard, allowing no runs on four hits and two walks to go with three strikeouts in the first 4.1 innings before the contest was halted by a two-hour, 34-minute rain delay.
Andrew Embry replaced Simmons on the mound when the game resumed. After retiring District Eight in the top of the fifth, Casey Summerlin of Vancleave took Embry deep to dead center field with a solo homer in the sixth to trim the District Six lead to 3-1.
Embry wouldn't allow another run as District Six improved to 3-0. District Eight did manage back-to-back singles with two outs in the seventh before Embry got Summerlin to ground out.
Summerlin went 3-for-4 with a double and a homer. Miles Clark had a single and a double as District Eight finished 2-2.
Henry had a single and a double for District Six.
District Eight 11
District Five 2
District Eight roughed up five District Five pitchers for 12 hits in taking Saturday morning's elimination game.
Miles Clark of Moss Point got the win, allowing two runs (both earned) on two hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out five. Clark, a rising senior, also went 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of doubles.
Casey Summerlin of Vancleave had a single and a double to drive in three runs. Trey Cuevas of Oak Grove added a three-run double in the fourth inning.
Bo Davis of West Lauderdale had two singles and an RBI to lead District Five. Crawford Sullivan of Seminary had a double. Trent Posey, Drew Tanner, and Buddy Wyrick each had a single.
Chris McDaniel of East Central tossed three innings of shutout relief for the save, allowing four hits while striking out three.
District Five starter Brett Jones of Laurel took the loss, allowing five runs (all earned) in a third of an inning. He gave up three hits and hit one batter.
District Four 3
District Three 1
District Four got all three of its runs in the bottom of the first inning to take the early afternoon elimination game. Eli Dew of Kosciusko had an RBI-double with New Hope's Hunter Abrams adding a two-run single.
Robert Tucker of New Hope tossed 5.1 innings to get the win. He allowed eight hits and two walks while striking out five. Jesse Carver of Starkville tossed 1.2 innings of perfect relief to get the save.
Abrams had two singles for District Four.
District Three got its lone run in the top of the fourth. Mike Barchetti of Deer Creek Academy singled and scored on a wild pitch.
Barchetti and Indianola Academy's Larkin Braxton had two singles apiece for District Three. Matthew Rozier of Carroll Academy and Scott Wynne of Pillow Academy both had a double.
Rozier, who threw 65 pitches in a complete game win Thursday night, took the loss. He allowed three runs (all earned) on three hits and three walks in four innings. Rozier struck out three.