Holley hunts down Cougars
By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
April 10, 2002
DECATUR Philadelphia stayed in the hunt for a postseason baseball playoff berth with a 4-2 Division 5-3A win at Newton County Tuesday night.
The Tornadoes improved to 14-10 overall and 8-3 in 5-3A. Philadelphia will host Southeast Lauderdale, 7-3 in the division Friday at 7 p.m. with the winner likely getting the playoff berth. Southeast is slated to play a makeup game at West Lauderdale on Thursday. "We came into these two ballgames knowing that there's a chance that if we don't win them both, we don't go to the playoffs," Philadelphia coach Scott Hill said. "It's really kinda complicated. You really want to play it to win and not think about all the implications that might go into it. "We've got to come out ready to play Friday because they're a good ballclub and have shown that all year."
Philadelphia won 5-2 at Southeast on March 19. The Tornadoes got four runs on seven hits to beat Newton County. They left at least one runner on base in every inning and stranded 11 for the game. Philadelphia left eight runners in scoring position.
Newton County answered in the bottom of the first when Mylan Anderson lashed an opposite field line drive. When Hartzog lost his footing in right field, the ball scooted to the wall with Anderson circling the bases for an inside-the-park homer.
The Tornadoes took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth on a pair of errors and an RBI-single by Tyler Rounsaville. Philadelphia extended its lead to 4-1 in the sixth. Rounsaville walked and scored on a double to right-center by Shay Grady. A bases-loaded walk to Cameron Tawater gave the Tornadoes a three-run lead.
Newton County got its second run in the bottom of the seventh. Adam Bout singled and took second when the ball was overrun in shallow right-center. Bout scored on a double down the left-field line by Tyler Hagan. Jonathan Walker (3-5) was the hard-luck loser. "That's really misleading," Newton County coach Wyatt Tullos said of Walker's record. "He's done an excellent job all year." Threadgill had two singles and four stolen bases for the Tornadoes. Rounsaville also had a pair of singles. Hartzog, Tawater, and Grady each had a double.
Ryan Loper had two singles for Newton County. Bout had the game's defensive gem when his diving catch in right-center robbed Dustin Turner of extra bases to lead off the top of the fifth.
The Cougars fell to 16-16 overall and 5-7 in the division. Newton County returns to action Saturday at Clarkdale, playing Clarkdale at noon and Quitman at 2:15 p.m.
