Georgia battles, gains semi spot

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BANGOR – They were the last team to play their first game in this year’s Senior League World Series, and an 0-2 start to pool play then left the Cartersville, Ga., all-stars wondering just what hit them.

But two days later the U.S. South champions are flying high, bound for the semifinals after a 10-0, six-inning victory over Canadian champion Surrey, British Columbia, at Mansfield Stadium on Thursday.

Those teams and Asia-Pacific champion Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands all finished with 2-2 records in Pool A, but Cartersville earned its semifinal berth at 2:30 p.m. Friday against Pool B champion Tyler, Texas, based on defensive run differential.

“We’re feeling pretty good right now,” said Cartersville righthander Ben Bridges, who pitched a two-hitter. “We didn’t play too good the first two games, now we’re coming on hitting and the pitching’s all good, so we’re feeling pretty good going to the semifinals.”

Cartersville got 15 hits off three Canadian pitchers, including home runs by Garison Boston and Cole Payne, the 1-2 batters in the lineup.”

Boston led off the bottom of the first with a solo shot well beyond the left-field fence. Payne followed Boston’s RBI double off the left-field fence in the third with three run shot to left that capped off a five-run rally and gave the U.S. South champs a 9-0 lead.

That uprising gave Cartersville – which needed to win by five runs to earn the tiebreaker – the cushion it needed, and a single by Chris Huth and an RBI double by Zach Philliber with two outs in the sixth then ended the game early under the 10-run rule.

“I know it’s better than what we were feeling the other day,” said Boston, “because we were all down and playing like crap. We usually don’t play like that, but coming out and playing a game like this today really helps a lot.

“Maybe we were nervous coming in to the World Series. We’re only the second team from Cartersville to do this. We had a Junior League team win it [in 2002]. I guess we were just nervous until we finally settled down.”

Bridges mixed a variety of pitches to keep Surrey’s batters off-balance throughout the late-morning contest. He struck out seven, walked one and had only two three-ball counts during his 71-pitch performance.

“My curveball was really working,” said Bridges, who yielded only singles to Hayden MacDonald and Dave Hadlow. “My split started working toward the end, and my fastball was in there pretty good, too.”

Payne finished with a home run, two singles and three RBIs for the U.S. South champs, while Huth hit two singles and an RBI double in the first inning. Brad Green followed Huth’s two-base hit with an RBI single to left center to give Cartersville a quick 3-0 lead.

Colton Montgomery and Tyler Williams each singled to start the Cartersville second, with Montgomery scoring from second on an infield error.

The U.S. South champs broke the game open in the third, sending nine batters to the plate and scoring all of its runs after two were out.

Huth singled and Green walked before Surrey reliever Chris Brien retired the next two batters. Williams then hit an RBI single to left-center before Boston hit the left-field fence and Payne went over the same fence on back-to-back pitches to give Bridges a nine-run cushion.

“It was just a good pitch right down the middle,” said Payne, “and I just took it for a ride.”

Boston, Philliber and Williams each finished with two hits for Cartersville.

U.S. SOUTH 10, CANADA 0

(Pool A, 6 inn.)

Surrey, B.C. Cartersville, Ga.

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Stevens,3b 2 0 0 0 Boston,2b 4 2 2

Clark, ph 1 0 0 0 Payne, ss 4 1 3

Quan, cf 1 0 0 0 Bridges, p 4 1 0

Chmbrln, rf 2 0 0 0 Stewart, c 4 0 0

Greaves, ss 2 0 0 0 Huth, 3b 4 3 1

MacDnld, p 2 0 1 0 Green, cf 3 1 1

Hadlow, 2b 2 0 1 0 Linn, rf 2 0 0

Davis, c 1 0 0 0 Philliber, rf 2 0 1

Lin, rf 1 0 0 0 Dickson, pr 0 0 0

Brien, 1b-p 2 0 0 0 Mntgmy, lf 2 1 0

Derish, lf 0 0 0 0 Williams, 1b 3 1 0

LeBretn, ph 1 0 0 0

Stebbe, p 1 0 0 0

Totals 18 0 2 0 Totals 32 10 15 9

Canada 000 000 – 0

U.S. South 315 001 – 10

E-Greaves; DP-Canada 1, U.S. South 2; LOB-Canada 1, U.S. South 7; 2B-Boston, Huth, Philliber; HR-Boston, Payne; SB-Huth

Canada IP H R ER BB SO

MacDnld (L, 0-1) 1 7 4 4 0 0

Brien 2 5 5 5 1 3

Stebbe 2 2/3 3 1 1 1 1

U.S. South

Bridges (W, 1-1) 6 2 0 0 1 7

MacDonald pitched to four batters in 2nd.

WP-MacDonald, Stebbe.

T-1:22; A-350 (est.)