Perry Junior League victorious in District 3

Perry Junior League had no issues putting away West Macon late Thursday evening and winning the Dixie Youth Georgia District 3 10 & under baseball championship at Ochlahatchee Park.

Play began Thursday with three teams saddled with one loss. By the rules, Perry Junior League earned the bye into the 8 p.m. final while West Macon first played its second game in as many days against Jones County Gold.

It was on Tuesday that Jones County Gold and Perry faced off as the only unbeatens remaining in the field, and two times Jones battled back from five-run deficits to win 13-12. However, on Wednesday Jones County lost to West Macon, which was playing to stay alive, and Perry also remained in the hunt defeating Schley County.

West Macon outlasted Jones Gold in Thursday’s rematch but had nothing left to stop the Perry Junior League onslaught. In three innings, the hosts stood on top 19-4.

Kaleb Hancock pitched all three innings, giving up one run in the first inning and one in the second. In both innings, the Perry defense turned one of the West Macon hits into an out at home plate.

It was in the first inning that West Macon’s first two runners reached base. That leadoff batter tried to score on the base hit but was thrown out by third baseman Rhodes Ham to catcher Roland Chance. The West Macon team would eventually score on a two-out double.

On to the second, where two walks had West Macon going offensively, and the baseball was put in play at first base. With all the action going after the hit, West Macon’s batter reached safely, and one run safely scored. They would try for two on the play, but first baseman Luke Davidson fired home, where for the second time Chance made the tag in time.

Hancock struck out five in three innings.

His offense could not be held in check with Perry Junior League scoring four runs in the first, three in the second and 12 in the third.

Mo Hayes, as the leadoff catalyst, bunted the baseball by the pitcher to reach. He later beat out a force play at second. Perry didn’t need another hit to go up 3-0, two of the runs scoring on Noah Fries’ force-out. Trae Hardy drove a double to right making it 4-0.

Perry scored all second-inning runs with two outs as the lineup turned back to the beginning and Hayes. He beat out an infield hit with one teammate already on base, and West Macon’s error in the infield and Colby Dixon’s hit helped up the lead to 7-1.

Highlights of the big third inning for PJL included Hardy circling the bases, a two-run inside the park homer and Hayes’ two-run triple. He scored on Hancock’s hit. Ham singled for two RBI, Brady Roland singled for one RBI and Hayes batted one more time for a sacrifice fly.

BATTLE WITH JONES

Perry Junior League took the field as the visiting team for the unbeaten showdown with Jones County Gold, and from start to finish the spectators were treated to a see-saw affair. No matter what kind of lead Perry would post, Jones County found a way to answer, but never pulled ahead until its final turn.

With the bases loaded in the top of the first, Perry scored two runs driven in by Chance and Fries, who lined a first-pitch double to the wall. On this hit, Jones County earned a key out throwing to home plate.

Jones Gold then scored two runs on three hits in the bottom of the first.

In the top of the second, PJL followed close to the same script from the first to get back ahead by two runs. Walks had a big part of both these frames, and in the second inning Davidson flared a single to left loading the bags with nobody out.

Trenton Thomas blistered the baseball on the ground Jones was able to field for an out at second, but the tie was broken. Tyler Bennett promptly ripped a single down the first-base line for 4-2 PJL. Jones escaped further damage with a good catcher-to-first play to retire Hayes.

But Perry, with Chance on the mound, held Jones Gold in order to pad the lead to five, 7-2, in the top of the third. Hancock’s first-pitch double to the left-field corner started the rally, and he scored when Dixon walked and hustled to steal an extra base. Ham, with one out, went to right field on his first offering to double in Dixon.

For Jones Gold, its third inning turn resulted in a 7-7 tie thanks in part to back-to-back triples in right field. The first three-bagger came with the bases full.

It was in the fifth that PJL erupted for five more runs starting with Chance’s single. He scored on Ham’s one-out hit. Hardy also singled, and Davidson increased the lead to 10-7 making the second out. That brought up Perry’s potent top of the order, where Hayes doubled and Dixon singled for two more runs.

Jones Gold went scoreless in the home fifth, but so did Perry in the top of the sixth. Jones only had one hit in the bottom of the sixth, but it was four straight walks that put the game 12-8. Perry next had two outs, but that one and only single resulted in two runs. The cushion was gone from an error and passed ball, and Jones won it from a wild pitch.

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