Philadelphia takes win over East Mississippi

By By Marty Stamper/EMG sports assistant
July 17, 2004
PHILADELPHIA For five innings, East Mississippi pitcher Dillon Boatner stifled Philadelphia National's bats. In the sixth inning, however, the host team finally escaped his spell.
Philadelphia National clinched a berth in next week's state tournament at Pascagoula with a 6-2 win over East Mississippi in the championship game of the Dixie Youth 12-under tournament at Northside Park Friday night.
Boatner completely handcuffed Philadelphia National for five innings, allowing only a single by Dustin Floyd with one out in the top of the fifth.
Boatner hit three batters in the first five frames, while striking out eight.
While the first five frames were all Boatner's, the sixth inning would belong to Philadelphia National. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with one out. Anthony McDaniel, who was 0-for-5 in the tournament with four strikeouts, lined a two-run single to center field to tie the game at 2-2.
An infield single by Kyle Barrett off Boatner's glove scored Joel Sistrunk with the go-ahead run. Haigan Thompson followed with a two-run single for a 5-2 lead. Djon John's RBI single gave Philadelphia National a 6-2 advantage heading into the bottom of the sixth.
Ivan Willis recorded the final three outs as he, John, and Cassius Lunderman went two innings each as they combined on a four-hitter.
East Mississippi took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as Boatner singled and scored all the way from first as Philadelphia National committed three errors on Jonathan McMillan's grounder to third base.
That lead held up through five innings, although the hosts threatened to pull even on several occasions. Philadelphia National left runners at third base in the first, third, and fourth frames as Boatner buckled down each time the hosts threatened.
East Mississippi had its own threat snuffed in the bottom of the fourth. With runners at first and third and nobody out, Philadelphia National third baseman Brandon Burton fielded Hunter Potate's grounder and threw to Floyd in time to nail Baly Hobson at the plate. Lunderman retired the next two batters to keep Philadelphia National within a run.
East Mississippi took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth as McMillan drew a leadoff walk and scored on a single by Gabe Lofton.
The game's only other two hits were a single each by East Mississippi's Dusty Sullivan and Ben Griffin.