A-Plus Collision Center (4-6, 3-6) gained sole possession of third place in the Marshall County Babe Ruth League standings by defeating Marshall Medical Center 9-4 in four innings on Wednesday night at Jonathan D. Hollingsworth Memorial Park.

After splitting the first two games against MMC, A-Plus Collision Center used a couple of big innings to build a 9-0 lead through the first three and a half frames of play. Marshall Medical Center (3-7, 2-7) then mounted a rally in the bottom of the fourth and cut the deficit to 9-4 before the game's time limit expired.

Walking to win

APCC finished with only four hits overall against four Marshall Medical Center pitchers, but were aided by eight walks and three hit batsmen. Catcher Bryce Wunderlin led A-Plus Collision Center at the plate by going 2-for-3 with 3 RBI and two runs scored. Starting pitcher Brayden Gentry (1 RBI) and Ethan Evans both notched a hit for APCC as well.

Gentry also went the distance on the mound to pick up the victory and racked up eight strikeouts in four innings of work while allowing four hits and two walks.

Ethan Poteete (1 RBI), Nate Huitt, Trent Richardson, and starting hurler Nathan Derryberry each tallied a hit for MMC.

Derryberry suffered the loss on the mound after yielding four runs over two and two-third innings on two hits and five walks.

Missed chance

After Derryberry worked around a leadoff single by Gentry in the top of the first inning with the help of a 6-4-3 double play, Marshall Medical Center had a chance to take the lead in the bottom of the second when Derryberry singled, stole second, and advanced to third on a wild pitch with no outs.

MMC was unable to cash in on the opportunity, as Gentry struck out the next two Marshall Medical Center batters before Derryberry was thrown out at home plate while trying to score on a wild pitch.

A-Plus Collision Center then broke the scoreless tie in the top of the third by crossing home plate four times in the frame to take a 4-0 lead. Lyttle drew a leadoff walk before advancing to third on a wild pitch and a passed ball. Following a walk by Hunter Cummings, Gentry drove in Lyttle with a RBI groundout to make it 1-0. After Cummings advanced to third on a wild pitch, Brett McGehee was hit by a pitch and stole second. Wunderlin then drove in Cummings and McGehee with a two-run single before eventually scoring on a wild pitch.

Five-run inning

In the top of the fourth, APPC hung another crooked number on the board and pushed across five runs in the frame on the strength of four walks, an Evans single, a RBI single by Wunderlin, a hit batsman, a wild pitch, and two passed balls to forge a 9-0 advantage.

MMC spoiled Gentry's shutout bid in the bottom of the fourth by plating four runs in the inning behind a pair of bloop singles by Huitt and Richardson, a Poteete RBI single, two walks, and three A-Plus Collision Center throwing errors for the 9-4 final.