Porter, Beekman combine to stifle North Adams bats –
Story and photos by Mark Carpenter –
Nearly all of the Southern Hills Youth League softball and baseball tournaments were complete before the week of the Adams County Fair, and one of those championship games took place on July 7 in Winchester. The Class “C” baseball tournament championship game was an Adams County battle between North Adams and Peebles, with bragging rights on the line.
In a game that was an outstanding example of sportsmanship on both sides, it was the Indians who came out victorious. riding the pitching arms of Zane Porter and Ethan Beekman to a 16-1 run-rule win in five innings. Depending on which scorebook you followed, Porter and Beekman combined to hold the Devils hitless, with the only base runners coming via walks and errors.
North Adams’ Easton Daulton opened the top of the first by drawing a walk and moved all the way to third, but was left stranded when Porter got two strikeouts and a ground out to get out of trouble. That was all the opening that Peebles would need as the came to bat in the bottom of the first and picked up their first two runs of the game. With right hander Landon Swayne on the mound for North Adams, lead off man Mason Sims was hit by a pitch, then stole second and third, before crossing the plate with the game’s first run on a wild pitch. With one out, Remington Beckham walked and later came across on a North Adams error that made it 2-0.
Porter set the Devils down in order in the second and in the bottom half, led off with a walk and scored on a later wild pitch to stretch the Peebles advantage to three runs.
In the bottom of the third, the Indians continued to add to their lead, picking up two more. Beckham was hit by a pitch and stole two bases, then came home when Ethan
Atkins slapped a single up the middle. A bloop single by Evan Day drove home Atkins to make it 5-0.
The Devils picked up their first and only run of the game in the top of the fourth. Daulton reached on an error, as did Brady Lung. A ground out to first by Nathan Parks brought home Daulton to get North Adams on the board. The Devils loaded the bases when Christopher Young and Lucas Roush both walked and Porter was lifted from the game when he reached the pitch count limit of 70 pitches. Ethan Beekman moved over from third base to the mound and induced Colby Eldridge to hit into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
North Adams’ Swayne had reached the pitch limit the previous inning and on the mound as Peebles came to hit in the bottom of the fourth was Nathan Parks, and the Indians’ bats erupted for a five-spot, getting a lead off double down the third base line from Sims, followed by a triple to right center off the bat of Beekman, who was tagged out a few pitches later trying to score from third on a wild pitch.
A base hit to right by Beckham made it 7-1 and a ground out to second by Ethan Pierce plated Beckham with the eighth Peebles run. Atkins was hit by a pitch, Day walked and Hayden Crum reached on an error, all combining to push two more runs across and break open what was a close contest.
North Adams got bases on balls to Kelby Moore and Mason Groves in the top of the fifth, but could neither across and the game moved to the bottom of the fifth, where the Indians took care of any doubt left about the evening’s outcome.
Sims led off the frame with a base hit to left, followed by an infield hit by Beekman. Another infield hit by Beckham drove home Sims and a base hit by pinch hitter Jake Stephens sent Beekman around and made it 12-1. Atkins reached on an error and a base hit to center by Day brought home two more. A solid base hit to left by Logan Stewart and Porter being hit by a pitch filled the bases and when Ben Kreml drew a walk from Parks, the game ended as Day crossed the plate with the 16th run, enforcing the run-rule and giving Peebles the “C” tournament championship.
The post game ceremonies were the perfect example of sportsmanship between two rivals, as both squads applauded the other as they received their medals and then members of opposite sides could be seen posing for photos with each other, as they were back to being friends after battling it out on the diamond.
N. Adams 000 10 –1
Peebles 212 56 –16
N. Adams (AB-R-H-RBI): Daulton 2-1-0-0, Lung 2-0-0-0, Swayne 2-0-0-0, Parks 2-0-0-1, Young 1-0-0-0, Roush 1-0-0-0, Eldridge 2-0-0-0, Moore 1-0-0-0, Ohnewehr 1-0-0-0, Groves 1-0-0-0, White 2-0-0-0, Team 17-1-0-1.
Peebles (AB-R-H-RBI): Sims 3-3-2-0, Beekman 4-1-2-1, Beckham 2-4-2-2, Pierce 2-0-0-1, Atkins 3-3-1-1. Day 3-2-2-3, Crum 3-1-0-0, Porter 0-1-0-0, Wilkinson 3-0-0-0, Stephens 1-1-1-1, Stewart 1-0-1-0, Kreml 0-0-0-1, Team 25-16-11-10.
Extra-Base Hits: Sims 2B, Beekman 3B
