The Marshall County Babe Ruth senior league Dusters entertained Giles County American Legion Post #60 Friday night for a doubleheader at Joe George Field in Lewisburg and they played to a split in a pair of five-inning, one-run ballgames.

Giles County escaped with a 5-4 win in game one before the Dusters came back with a tough 2-1 win in the nightcap.

Mitchell Ford made his last start as a Duster in the first game and was on a 50-pitch count before being shut down for the rest of the summer in preparation for his soon to be departure to UT Martin.

Ford lasted 1.2 innings and gave up three runs (all unearned) on two hits while striking out three and walking two Post 60 batters.

Giles County picked up an unearned run without a hit in the first inning and the Dusters came back in the home half of the inning as Walker Whaley drew a one-out walk before Ford and Colton Barber followed with back-to-back single to load the sacks.

Whaley scooted home to tie the game on a passed ball and JW Beasley was hit by a pitch to reload the bases before Giles County hurler Hudson Adams got out of the jam on a ground ball to the shortstop.

Ford retired the first two batters in the top of the second and it looked like he would escape unscathed, but a passed ball on a potential inning ending strikeout extended the inning for Giles County and they took full advantage of the error.

Another error put two runners on and back-to-back base hits by Mac O’Connor and Fayetteville’s Gary Wayne Davis made it a 3-1 contest.

Ford issued a base on balls to reach his pitch count and Colton Barber came to the hill and got an inning ending strikeout.

Marshall County stranded two more runners on base in the bottom of the frame and Giles County extended its lead to 5-1 in the top of the third via a two-run home run by Collin Huson.

The Dusters had runners on first and third with one out in the bottom of the third, but a pair of ground balls were not good enough to push a run across.

Barber retired the side in order in the top of the fourth inning and Logan McKnight greeted Giles County reliever Drake McElyea with a leadoff single in the home half of the inning.

After a fly out, Luke Terry ripped a single to right field and Caleb Grooms came in to run for the Marshall County catcher.

Grooms swiped second, putting runners on second and third before McKnight scored on a wild pitch to make it a 5-2 contest.

Brennen Peete walked, but was thrown out on a stolen base attempt to end the inning.

Barber pitched a strong top of the fifth to keep Giles County from adding any more runs and the Dusters made a serious comeback move in the home half of the stanza, beginning with a leadoff single by Beasley.

After a popup for the first out, Mitchell drilled an RBI triple in to the left field corner and Barber followed with a run scoring single to make it a one-run game at 5-4.

Designated hitter Thomas J. Beardsley followed with a line shot up the middle, but Davis snared the ball and threw to second for a game-ending double play.

Colton Barber went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate and Ford had two hits in three at bats for the Dusters. Beasley, McKnight, and Terry all had one base knock apiece.

McKnight started on the hill for the Dusters in game two and got out of a two-on, one-out jam in the top of the first and Marshall County scored its only runs of the game in the home half of the inning.

Beasley reached on a leadoff error and went to second on a wild pitch before Whaley walked.

Ford also walked to load the bases with no outs, but Giles County starting pitcher Huson struck out the next two batters.

Caleb McElhaney stepped in and stepped up when he drilled a two-run single to right field, scoring Beasley and Whaley.

A lineout ended the inning and Post 60 responded in the top of the second as Huson and Landon Griggs came up with back-to-back hits to start the frame, plus a throwing error put them on second and third with no outs.

Pressley Wise made it 2-1 on a fielder’s choice RBI before a lineout to short and a great play by Grooms in center field ended the threat.

Grooms and Terry drew consecutive bases on balls to start the home half of the inning and the Dusters left them both stranded.

McKnight surrendered a lead off base hit to Duran in the top of the third inning, but the big righty retired the next three Giles County batters in a row, including another great catch by Grooms in center field.

The Dusters had a another chance to extend their lead as Whaley and Barber sandwiched base hits around a fly out, but Huson escaped and the game went to the fourth inning.

Whaley came to the hill and Aaron Stooksberry reached on an infield error before a strikeout and fly out set up the inning ending play when Terry gunned down Stooksberry trying to steal second base.

The Dusters could not score after a two-out hit by Terry in the bottom of the fourth and with two-on and one out in the top of the fifth, Grooms came up big again in center field and a ground ball to Blake Moreland at second base ended the game.

Game One

Giles County 122 00-5 5 0

Dusters 100 12-4 8 4

Giles County: Mac O’Connor 1-for-3, Gary Wayne Davis 1-for-3, Walker Brown 1-for-3, Collin Huson 1-for-3, Pressley Wise 1-for-2.

BB: Blake Birdsong 2.

RS: O’Connor, Brown, Huson, Josh Thomas, Herlan Duran.

HR: Huson.

RBI: Huson 2, O’Connor, Davis.

HBP: Brown, Landon Griggs.

ROE: Duran 2 Thomas.

CS: O’Connor.

LOB: 6

WP: Hudson Adams (3IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 3K, 4BB).

Save: Drake McElyea (2IP, 5H, 3R, 3ER, 1K, 1BB).

Dusters: Colton Barber 3-for-3, Mitchell Ford 2-for-3, JW Beasley 1-for-3, Logan McKnight 1-for-2, Luke Terry 1-for-1.

BB: Caleb Grooms 2, Walker Whaley, Caleb McElhaney, Terry.

RS: Beasley, Whaley, McElhaney, McKnight.

3B: Barber.

RBI: Barber 2.

HBP: Whaley.

GIDP: Thomas J. Beardsley.

CS: Grooms.

LOB: 7

E: Whaley, Blake Moreland, McKnight, Terry.

LP: Mitchell Ford (1.2IP, 2H, 3R, 0ER, 3K, 2BB).

Relief: Colton Barber 3.1IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, 3K, 0BB).

Game Two

Giles County 010 00-1 4 1

Dusters 200 0X-2 4 2

Giles County: Collin Huson 1-for-2, Landon Griggs 1-for-2, Pressley Wise 1-for-2, Herlan Duran 1-for-2.

BB: Blake Birdsong.

RS: Huson.

RBI: Pressley Wise.

HBP: Gary Wayne Davis.

FC: Aaron Stooksberry.

ROE: Stooksberry.

SB: Huson, Wise, Drake McElyea, Duran.

CS: Stooksberry.

LOB: 5

E: McElyea.

LP: Collin Huson (3IP, 3H, 2R, 1ER, 4K, 4BB).

Relief: Josh Thomas (1IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 1K, 0BB).

Dusters: Walker Whaley 1-for-1, Colton Barber 1-for-2, Caleb McElhaney 1-for-2, Luke Terry 1-for-1.

BB: Whaley, Mitchell Ford, Caleb Grooms, Terry.

RS: JW Beasley, Whaley.

2B: Terry.

RBI: McElhaney 2.

ROE: Beasley.

LOB: 7

E: Whaley, McElhaney.

WP: Logan McKnight (3IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 0K, 1BB).

Save: Walker Whaley (1IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0K, 0BB).