Bobcats win area series versus Red Bay
By Bart Moss for the FCT
The Phil Campbell Bobcats won a sloppy but critical area series with the Red Bay Tigers last week. The series was beset by 19 fielding errors, many of which were costly for both teams. Phil Campbell committed ten errors, and Red Bay committed nine. Phil Campbell captured game one on a walk-off double by Hayden Copeland. Red Bay got game two thanks to some solid pitching and seven Bobcat errors. Phil Campbell won the rubber game thanks, in part, to some critical Red Bay errors.
Phil Campbell 3, Red Bay 2
Copeland hit a walk-off double to help the Phil Campbell Bobcats come from behind to defeat the Red Bay Tigers 3-2 in the opening game of a big area series between the two county rivals.
Red Bay struck first in the top of the third inning when Kaleb Burroughs singled in Max Bullen to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
Phil Campbell tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning when Peyton Thomas scored on a Tiger error.
Red Bay regained the lead in the top of the seventh inning when Bullen singled in Levi McNatt to give the Tigers a 2-1 edge. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Joe Hardy, who reached on a Red Bay error and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Nick Swinney, scored on the walk-off double by Copeland to win the game for the Bobcats.
Copeland had two RBIs on the night for the Bobcats.
Peyton Thomas got the win for the Bobcats, pitching the complete game and allowing six hits, two runs and no walks and striking out 13 batters.
Red Bay 10, Phil Campbell 3
Red Bay took full advantage of seven Phil Campbell errors and outhit the Bobcats to get a 10-3 win in game two of the series and force a game three in the area matchup.
Phil Campbell got off to a quick start in the top of the first inning with a two-run home run by Peyton Thomas scoring Copeland. Red Bay tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the first. Burroughs scored on a fielder’s choice, and Hayden Murray scored on error.
Red Bay took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third, when Allen and Bragwell both scored on walks.
Phil Campbell closed the gap to 4-3 in the bottom of the top of the fourth inning, when Colby Baker scored on an error.
It was all Red Bay from there.
Murray led Red Bay, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and scoring three runs. Bragwell went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Burroughs scored two runs, and Allen had two RBIs.
Allen got the win on the mound, pitching seven innings and allowing four hits and two earned runs. He struck out 13 batters.
Phil Campbell 7, Red Bay 4
The Phil Campbell Bobcats fell behind early but came back to win the rubber game in the series with the Red Bay Tigers 7-4. Phil Campbell took advantage of four Red Bay errors and some key hits at the top of their order to win the game and the area series.
Red Bay jumped out in front early with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Murray singled in Cade McKinney to get the Tigers’ first run of the game. Murray scored later on a single by Bragwell.
Phil Campbell scored two runs in the top of the third to close the gap to 3-2. Swinney scored on an RBI double by Copeland, who scored on a Thomas RBI single.
Phil Campbell took a 4-3 in the top of the fifth, when Thomas and Cole Motes scored on a fielding error.
In the top of the sixth inning, Brodie Nix had a three RBI triple, scoring Taylor, Copeland and Thomas to give the Bobcats a 7-3 lead.
Red Bay scored one final time in the bottom of the seventh – Max Bullen on a fielder’s choice.
Copeland and Thomas both went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Swinney got the win for the Bobcats, pitching a complete game and striking out ten batters.
Murray had two RBIs for Red Bay, and Bragwell had two hits.
