DUNN — The quest for a state title came to a quick end here in Dunn over the weekend for the West Chatham 10U All-Star team.
In the opener on Saturday afternoon West Chatham American battled Elizabethtown in the fierce midday heat in a 1 pm contest.
When the sweltering action had concluded it was Elizabethtown advancing to round two in the winner’s bracket with a 9-3 triumph over the local bunch.
The disappointing aspect of the contest for West Chatham was surrendering a 3-1 advantage going into the fifth inning as Elizabethtown plated five runs in the top of the frame before adding three insurance runs in the visiting half of the sixth.
Elizabethtown took an early 1-0 lead in the first behind singles from Jayce Hartline and C.J. Martin.
West Chatham countered with a run in the bottom of the second to tie things up as singles by Davis Rhodes, Jensen Mitchell, a walk to Gavin Davis, and a two-run single by Carson Jackson. The locals left two men stranded with consecutive outs to allow Elizabethtown to escape a big inning.
In the fourth, West Chatham would take a 3-1 lead when Raje Torres and Landon Moser singled, moved to second and third on a passed ball, and both raced home on a two-run single by Rhodes to centerfield.
Leading 3-1, West Chatham loaded the bases with one out behind walks to Jackson Bare and Jackson, and a single to by Davis. Two strikeouts proved costly as the locals didn’t push another across in the inning, or in the game.
Agonizingly enough, an error coupled with two hit batters, a walk, three singles and a double led to the five Elizabethtown runs, all unearned, in the fifth.
Elizabethtown would tack on the insurance runs in the sixth to cap the 9-3 win.
Rhodes was 2-for-2 with a run, an RBI, and a walk to lead West Chatham offensively while Davis was 1-for-1 with two walks, Torres 1-for-2 with a run and a walk, Jacob Eubanks 1-for-3, Moser 1-for-2, Mitchell 1-for-3, and Jackson 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.
West Chatham was sent to the loser’s bracket after the tough opening round loss and took on Hope Mills American on Sunday afternoon.
And it turned out to be another agonizing loss for the local All-Star bunch which held the lead on three difference occasions, including 7-6 entering the top of the sixth before surrendering two runs and falling 8-7.
West Chatham took a 1-0 lead in the first behind a single and stolen base from Eubanks who later scored on an RBI-ground out by Torres.
After Hope Mills struck for three runs in the top of the third to go up 3-1, West Chatham responded with five runs in the home half of the inning to retake the lead at 6-3. Jackson and Logan Ellis each singled to start off the uprising before Isaac Mathison and Bare walked, and Eubanks, Rhodes and Torres singled.
Hope Mills tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the fourth but once again West Chatham countered to take the lead at 7-6 with a run in the bottom of the fourth. The run came with two outs when Ellis singled, and Eubanks, Torres and Moser walked to send in a run.
Unfortunately Hope Mill plated to the two game-winning runs in the top of the sixth to get the win.
West Chatham was led at the plate by Eubanks who went 2-for-3 with two run, two RBI, a stolen base and a walk while Ellis was 2-for-3 with two runs and Torres 1-for-2 with a run, two RBI and a walk.