Marshall County Tribune: Community Sports: Stars' light dimmed by extra inning loss (07/02/11)

Marshall County third baseman Hunter Thomas (19) and catcher Matt Callendar (22) collide in the third inning. Thomas caught the ball and suffered a minor gash to his face, but he stayed in and finished the ballgame with a 3-4 night at the plate. Tribune photos by Anthony S. Puca

Marshall County Babe Ruth 15-year old all-stars' manager Steve Hobbs must have felt like he was asleep in a nightmare he could not awake from Friday night in Pulaski when his squad squandered two leads in an excruciating 10-9 extra inning loss to Lawrenceburg in a District 8 winner's bracket contest.

Marshall County (MC) jumped out to a 5-0 lead through three innings before Lawrenceburg came back with six runs in the top of the fourth as they sent eleven batters to the plate and banged out seven hits.

A bases clearing three-run double by Dylan True, and a two-run, two-out double off the bat of Bailey Barnett were the major blows that gave Lawrenceburg a 6-5 lead in the inning.

Hobbs' crew came right back with three runs in the bottom of the inning on one hit, an RBI single by Aaron Medley.

Lawrenceburg committed two errors in the frame, walked two MC hitters, and hit one batter to fall behind 8-6.

There was no scoring in the fifth inning, but in the top of the sixth, Lawrenceburg cut the MC lead to a single run on an RBI knock by Connor Rochelle.

Jacob Graves knocked in Aaron Hobbs in the bottom of the sixth to re-open the two-run lead at 9-7.

The MC lead disappeared again in the top of the seventh on a huge two-run double off the wall by A.J. Long.

MC's Hunter Thomas and Medley banged back-to-back two-out singles in the bottom of the seventh before a line drive to center sent the ballgame to extra innings, tied at nine.

In the visitors' portion of the eighth, Lawrenceburg took a 10-9 on a bases loaded walk by Parker Hartsfield.

In MC's last chance at bat, Grayson Wiles' one-out single kept hope alive as he was standing on second after a stolen base, but the game ended on a grounder back to the mound and pop-out in foul territory, sending MC to a loser's bracket contest tonight at 5:30.

Marshall County will have to win that game and beat Lawrenceburg twice to claim the district title.

Aaron Medley (12) had a big night on offense for Marshall County, going 3-4 with three runs scored, two RBIs, and five stolen bases, but it was not enough as Lawrenceburg stunned MC 10-9 in eight innings. Tribune photos by Anthony S. Puca

Medley swung the hot stick for MC, going 3-4 with three runs scored, two RBIs, and five stolen bases.

Thomas also had three hits in four at bats, and Grayson Wiles and Bubba Houghton had two hits apiece.