Coal Creek wins ETBD tourney
Coal Creek, River Boys meet in ETBD Tournament championship
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Jeremiah Owens pitched in the opening game of the ETBD postseason tournament at Christenberry Elementary School. - Tony Cox
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Landon Notaro gets one of the Bulls’ two hits in the team’s 5-0 win over the Graveston Freebirds in the opening game. - Tony Cox
For the second consecutive summer, the Coal Creek Bulls have won the East Tennessee Baseball District postseason tournament.
Coal Creek, the No. 3 seed, swept through the tournament and defeated its crosstown rival, the River Boys, 5-2, Sunday afternoon at Christenberry Elementary School.
The Bulls (14-14) and the River Boys (8-14-1) will play in the summer World Series later this week.
The tournament will likely begin Thursday. The bracket was not set at press time, but games will likely take place at Christenberry, Heritage High School, Anderson County High School and Gibbs.
“(Tournament director and Broadway Hawks’) Coach Buzz McNish told us that everybody in our league better be prepared to host games,” Coal Creek Coach Josh Boynton said. “So, games will probably be here, Gibbs, Heritage and (Christenberry). I know Clinton can’t host games because of the fair.”
Coal Creek entered the tournament with 17 or 18 players, and Boynton made it clear that he had some high expectations.
“I told the guys on Friday before we started that we were coming in to win this thing,” Boynton said. “We won it last year after having to play in the play-in game.”
This year, they won the tournament by defeating the second-seeded Graveston Freebirds 5-0, and knocking off the top-seeded Townsend Mountaineers 9-1, on Saturday. The Bulls then beat the River Boys to win the tournament, overcoming a 2-0 deficit.
The River Boys took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a two-run single by Brennan Tipton.
But the lead was short-lived as Blake Lowe tied the game with a two-run single in the bottom of the opening frame.
Lowe went 2-for-2 in the contest. He drove in two runs and scored another, while Easton Beaty was 2-for-3. He tripled, scored a run and recorded a stolen base.
On the mound, Hayden Ault threw a complete game, allowing just the two first-inning runs. He also gave up eight hits and three walks. He finished with five strikeouts.
On Saturday against the Mountaineers, Coal Creek won easily, posting a 9-1 victory. Beaty and Clay Fletcher eash had a solid outing on the mound as they combined to surrender six hits.
They also made some offensive contributions. Fletcher was 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. Beaty singled, drove in a run and scored.
Ty Wilson had two singles, while Reece Wilkerson was 1-for-1 with an RBI triple and a run scored. Jeremiah Owens drove in two runs, had one hit and one run scored.