LEWISBURG (WVDN) – The Central Greenbrier Little League 8-10 All-Star team came out on top in the seven-team District 4 baseball tournament.
The CGLL team opened up tournament play on Sunday, June 19, with a convincing 17-7 win over Beckley and then followed that up with a 15-0 shutout of Sophia to win the tournament, which also included Oak Hill, Hinton, Shady Spring and Trap Hill. The championship punched CGLL’s ticket to the West Virginia state tournament, which begins July 7 in Logan.
In the opening game on Sunday, Beckley in CGLL were tied 7-7 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, when Michael Boothe blasted his first career home run over the center field fence. The 2-run homer put CGLL ahead 9-7, but controversy ensued when it was ruled that he missed third base on his trot around the bags. Eventually, one of the runs was wiped off the board.
After a lengthy delay, CGLL — coached by Cam Huffman, with assistance from Travis Adwell and Eric Workman — responded in impressive fashion, scoring three more runs in the inning to take a 11-7 lead into the fifth. After holding Beckley scoreless that frame, it posted six runs in the bottom of the fifth to invoke the mercy rule and claim a 17-7 victory.
Landon Brown led the way at the plate in that contest with two hits and four RBIs. He also scored three runs. James Godby had three RBIs, while Carter Huffman, Boothe and Graham McDaniel had two each. Other hits came from Acen Workman, Peyton Ervin and Jake Hutchison, and Spencer Holliday scored a run.
That victory put CGLL, which received a bye in the opening round, one step away from a championship with a meeting with Sophia Tuesday. The winner would claim the district title, while the loser would have to fight back through the loser’s bracket to try to claim runner-up status, and the state tournament bid that came with it.
CGLL set the tone with five runs in the bottom of the first inning against Sophia, and Huffman took it from there. The lefty pitcher threw three innings and didn’t allow a single run or hit. An error and four walks gave Sophia some base runners, but Huffman shined in the pressure situations, striking out nine batters.
At the plate, CGLL pounded out nine hits, led by two from Boothe. Ervin, Hutchison, Huffman and Ryker Adwell drove in two runs each, while Godby scored three. Henderson Bostic, also had an RBI and a run scored, and Brody Brown and Ethan Ewing scored runs.
The game ended after just three innings due to the mercy rule.
On Wednesday, Shady Spring defeated Sophia 11-10 in seven innings to claim the runner-up title and the other District 4 spot in the state tournament.
In order to help fund its trip to states, the Central Greenbrier Little League All-Star team will be holding several fundraisers, including a car wash this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Greenbrier Ford. Stop by and make a donation to support their travel. Anyone else wishing to help this team’s cause can contact Huffman at camhuffman33@gmail.com.
