Beaten 12-5 by West Monroe East on Tuesday, the outlook appeared bleak for Morehouse National as the first day of the District 5 Rookie League Tournament drew to a close.
Showing its resiliency, the Nationals battled all the way back through the losers bracket. When it came time to present the championship trophy on Saturday night, the Morehouse Nationals raced to home plate to receive their reward.
In control from start to finish, Morehouse struck for five runs in the top of the first en route to an emphatic 13-0 conquest of West Monroe East in the championship game.
It was Morehouse’s second game of the day as the Nationals defeated West Monroe North 13-6 in the early game. With three teams remaining with one loss each after Friday’s action, West Monroe East drew a bye into the finals.
Bouncing back from the first-round loss to West Monroe East, the Nationals won five straight games to claim the District Tournament championship. Morehouse National beat Osterland (7-4) on Wednesday, Morehouse American (15-2) on Thursday and West Monroe East (12-5) on Friday, before winning back-to-back games on Saturday.
Morehouse now advances to the State Tournament to be held July 2-5 in DeRidder.
All 13 batters hit safely as the Nationals sprayed out 21 hits in the finale.
Against West Monroe East, Luke Denman, Austin Carroll and Jarrett McDonald singled to load the bases with nobody out.
Next up, Cadge Wallace ripped a single up the middle to put the Nationals ahead 2-0. Jamarco Edmonds then hit a force play, leaving runners at the corners. Danny Hill’s two-run double doubled the Nationals lead to 4-0, before Gage Riles tapped an RBI infield single to third base.
After allowing only one base runner through the first two innings, the Nationals widened the spread to 9-0 with four in the third.
Successive singles by Carroll, McDonald and Wallace made it 6-0. Edmonds then cranked a two-run double to center and Hill singled home another run. Riles then hit into a fielder’s choice for the first out and Jacob Farrar singled. East avoided further damage when third baseman Kaden Satre fielded a grounder, stepped on the bag and fired to Nate Newsom at second base for an inning-ending double play.
Morehouse wrapped up the scoring with four in the third on an RBI single by Denman, an RBI double by Carroll and a two-run single by McDonald.
Carroll whacked a double and two singles and scored three runs and McDonald went 3-for-3 with three runs scored for Morehouse. Rounding out the 21-hit assault were Hill with a double, a single and three RBIs, Denman, Wallace (three RBIs), Jacob Farrar and Patrayvious Johnson with two singles, Edmonds with a two-bagger and Riles, Grant Girtman, A.J. Fenceroy and Layton Rainbolt with base hits.
Abram Tarantino, Brady Brown, Blake Everett, Nate Newsom and Josh Webber singled for the East.
Notes: McDonald finished Saturday’s double header 6-for-6 with six RBIs. ... After popping up to shortstop in his first at bat vs. West Monroe North, Carroll closed out the night with five straight hits, including a triple and a double. ... Jacob Farrar was a perfect 4-for-4 with a double in the two-game set. ... Playing without shortstop and No. 3 hitter Jakob Hearne, West Monroe East sent only 12 batter to the plate (the entire 13-man roster batted under tournament rules).
Bastrop, La. —
