By Rob Peck
Guest Writer
The Clay County Jackets 12U team went 7-0 during All Stars, culminating with an 11-0 win over Fannin County in the Mountain Athletic Conference Championship.
After going 4-0 in All Star Elite play with mercy rule victories against Union County by a score of 16-1, Lumpkin County 10-1, Dawson County 15-0 and Fannin County 12-2, the Jackets were positioned as the team to beat heading into the MAC tournament.
A blind draw saw the Jackets pull the seventh seed with the likes of Union County and Lumpkin County on the Clay County side of the bracket. Aside from their losses in Elite play to the Jackets, Union and Lumpkin both had played excellent ball throughout the Elite series and were considered contenders heading into the MAC tournament.
After making the trip to tournament host Fannin County on Thursday, June 1 for a first round game vs. Union County, weather caused the initial game to be rescheduled for Friday June 2 setting up the potential for back to back games.
Caden McClure got the start on the mound vs. Union, going the distance and allowing only three hits and one earned run in the 12-2 victory. The Jackets used stellar defense, aggressive base running and timely hitting in quickly eliminating the Union Panthers in a run ruled three and a half inning game.
The decisive top of the fourth inning began with back to back singles by Tucker Moore and Jaxon Caruso. The Jackets continued to use small ball to advance runners and apply pressure to the Panthers defense. Bronc Woody executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance Moore and Caruso to third and second base respectively. A walk by lead-off batter Rhett Sellers then loaded the bases. With the winning run on third base, one out and a 3-0 count, Garrison Boyer laid down a bases loaded suicide squeeze to score Moore for the win.
The Jackets offense was powered by nine hits, four walks and four hit batters. Sellers, Boyer, Moore, Woody and Matthew Peck each scored 2 runs. Camden Taylor and Jack Bethel each had a run and three RBIs. Peck and McClure both reached base on all three plate appearances. Caruso called an excellent game behind the plate. Woody, Malachi Lee and Henry Wadsworth provided excellent outfield defense in the well rounded win.
With the quick turnaround for game two Friday night, the Jackets would square off with the Lumpkin County All Stars who earlier in the evening beat Gilmer County. The Jackets batted first in the highly anticipated rematch of the 2021 10U All Star Championship which the Jackets won 7-1. While hits were harder to come by in this game, the Jackets showed patience at the plate, drawing eight walks, while remaining aggressive on the bases. Timely hitting and the before mentioned discipline while at bat resulted in a 9-3 victory.
Sellers got things started in the first with a lead-off walk. He quickly stole second and third bases before Boyer drew a walk. Boyer would then steal second with Sellers scoring on the throw down to the second baseman. A double by McClure would score Boyer. Clay County had a chance to break the game open, but the Lumpkin County All Stars got out of a bases loaded jam to end the inning.
Matthew Peck got the start on the mound. In the bottom of the first inning, he struck out the first two batters before allowing a walk and base hit that scored a run. He then struck out the next batter to end the half inning.
The second inning saw a rare 3 up and 3 down for the Jackets offensively. Peck struck out 3 of 4 batters faced in the bottom of the second to maintain a 3-1 lead heading into the 3rd.
In the third inning, McClure walked and Bethel then hit a hard ground ball that resulted in an error on the second basemen. Moore followed with an infield single on a hard hit ball to the shortstop. With the bases now loaded, Caruso would drive in a run on a ground ball out to first base, scoring McClure. Woody then drove in Bethel with a ground out to second base. Sellers had a line drive single to left field scoring Moore and stretching the Jackets lead to 7-1.
Peck gave up a single and then struck out the next batter in the bottom of the third, before reaching his pitch limit for the day. Bethel came in on relief, with a runner on. A soft single and an error led to two Lumpkin runs before the Jackets ended the inning with a fly ball out to Caruso in left field.
After a scoreless top of the fourth inning, Bethel returned to the mound striking out three of four batters faced. The Jackets would put the game away in the top of the fifth after walks by both Moore and Caruso. Woody laid down a beautiful bunt for a base hit, advancing the other base runners to second and third base. Sellers then walked, scoring Moore. Similar to the Union game earlier.
In the evening, Boyer found himself at bat with the winning run on third and bases loaded. With the infield drawn in and a one-two count, Boyer took a pitch off the helmet. After brushing himself off, Boyer jogged down to first, pushing the final run across the plate. The Jackets won the game as a result of the mercy rule, 9-3.
Peck and Bethel combined to pitch four innings giving up one earned run on four hits, only walking one while striking out eight. Sellers was one-two with two walks, a run scored, two RBIs and two stolen bases. Moore and McClure each scored 2 runs in the game.
Clay County All Stars had to turn around bright and early on Saturday after the late night on Friday. They would face the tournament host Fannin who beat White and Dawson County on the way to the championship. The Jackets were again the away club, but capitalized on batting first and jumped on Fannin for 4 runs in the first. Sellers who was three-four on the day with 2 runs, two RBIs and three stolen bases got things started with a lead-off single. Boyer followed with a walk which brought up Peck. Peck who would return to the mound on short rest but with plenty of arm would help himself out with a two run triple down the right field line. Taylor then drove Peck in with an RBI single. Singles by McClure and Bethel and a ground out by Moore plated another run.
After a scoreless bottom of the first, the Jackets would start things off in the second with two singles and a walk followed by a McClure’s 2 run single, scoring Boyer and Peck, extending the lead to 6-0. Fannin was sat down in order in the bottom of the second.
The Jackets added an additional run in the top of the fourth, beginning with a lead-off line drive triple by Peck to right center field. Taylor followed with an RBI single to increase the lead to 7-0. Peck, who pitched three scoreless innings, gave up no hits, while striking out seven was again relieved by Bethel.
Bethel was efficient in relief, only giving up a slow rolling single in his inning pitched. The defense of Peck and McClure on the left side of the infield showed off their gloves with three put outs in the inning.
The top of the fifth proved to be the decisive inning in the Jackets quest for a second All Star Championship. Caruso led off the inning with a single. Woody then reached base on an error. After a couple of stolen bases by Caruso and Woody, Sellers would drive them in on a line drive single. With one out, Peck was given the green light on a three-one count. He delivered, smoking an RBI single to right center field. The hard hit ball got past the center fielder and Peck advanced to third on the play. McClure would later walk and Bethel was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Moore. Moore would deliver the 11th and game ending run with an RBI single to center field, scoring Peck.
The Jackets offense was firing on all cylinders on its way to the 11-0 win, putting up 15 hits and staying aggressive on the bases with 14 steals. Offensive leaders included the before mentioned Sellers; Peck 3-3, 2 3 Bs, 1 BB, 1 SB, 4 runs and 3 RBIs; Taylor 2-4, 2 RBIs; McClure 2-3, 1 BB, 2 SB, 1 run, 2 RBIs; Bethel 2-3, 1 2B, 1 SB and Moore 1-4, 2 RBIs. Boyer added a hit and two runs. Caruso reached base in all three plate appearances with a single and two walks while scoring a run. Woody also had a hit and a run scored. Taylor caught his second straight game for the Jackets.
Coach Rob Peck stated, “We have always stressed team over individual. Great effort, great attitudes and sportsmanship. We set high expectations and hold them accountable. They have always responded and bought into what we were trying to do. Stats alone don’t tell the whole story of this team. These boys have always accepted their role and all 11 contributed to the success of the team.”
The Jackets used six different pitchers and four different catchers in their seven All Star games. The pitching staff gave up only seven earned runs and 14 hits while striking out 37 batters over the 26 innings pitched. Offensively, the team batted .460 as a unit with a .603 on base percentage. They also swiped 71 bases, many uncontested. Along the way they outscored their opponents 75-9 to dominate the Mountain Athletic Conference.
The 12U Clay County All Stars were coached by Rob Peck, Davis Carter, Christopher Moore, Shea Taylor and Cameron Bethel.