Wayne Grandy
The Moultrie Observer
MOULTRIE —
It took 13 hours, but the Colquitt County 8-and-under Gold All-Stars won four straight games to win the Peach State Diamond Sports Fall World Series in Brunswick on Saturday.
The tournament drew nine teams from Florida and Georgia.
It was the 10th tournament the team has played and was its ninth championship. Colquitt County also went 10-0 in the fall league in Leesburg, won the District championship and has a 39-6 record.
Colquitt County opened the World Series with 16-2, four-inning victory over the Camden County Wildcats.
Gold blew the game open with 13 runs in the top of the fourth inning.
Colquitt scored three in the top of the third when Abraham Daniels and Jayden Weaver got one-out singles and Nathan Harden tripled them in. Cannon Whatley’s fielder’s choice scored Harden.
The 13-run fourth inning featured a home run by Harden, a double by Drew Johnson and a triple by Henry Underwood.
Camden did not have a base runner until the fourth inning and scored both of its runs in the bottom of the inning.
Whatley, Underwood, Chasyn Miley, Gavin Steptoe, Landon Griffin and Daniels each had two hits in the game. Harden, Johnson, Davis Dalton, Jace Autry, Mason White and Weaver each had one hit.
Harden had a home run and a triple and Underwood had a triple.
Colquitt County continued to pour it on in the second game, pounding the Alma (Ga.) Longhorns 38-8, again in four innings.
Miley led off the game with a double and scored on a two-out triple by Steptoe. Dalton then doubled to score Steptoe. Hayden Moore singled and Johnson doubled to score Dalton.
Landon Griffin then lined a single to right center to drive in Moore and Johnson and complete the scoring in the five-run first.
The Longhorns scored a run in the bottom of the first and two more in the second to close to within two runs.
But in the third, Whatley and Underwood got things started with singles and Steptoe followed with a bases-clearing double.
One out later, Moore singled and Johnson homered. Griffin then doubled and was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple.
But Autry singled and Mason White followed with a home run.
And Colquitt County was not finished in the inning when Daniels and Weaver singled and Harden followed with a base hit to score Daniels to complete the eight-run inning to give Gold a 13-3 lead.
Alma scored four in the bottom of the inning, but Gold put the game out of reach with a 17-run top of the fourth.
The big inning included a home run by Steptoe, doubles by Johnson, Underwood and Autry and a triple by Griffin. Steptoe, Moore and Johnson each had four hits in the game.
Whatley, Underwood, Dalton, Griffin, Autry, Weaver and Harden added three apiece; Miley and Daniels each had two; and White had one, a home run.
Steptoe had a double, a triple and a homer; Johnson had two doubles and a home run; Griffin had a triple; and Whatley, Underwood, Autry and Dalton each had doubles.
There would be no blowout in the third game, but Gold proved it could win a close one, scoring six runs in the bottom of sixth to defeat the Rincon (Ga.) Upper Deck Lynx on a walk-off grand slam by Autry.
Down 5-0 heading into the bottom of the third, Colquitt County scored three times with Harden doubling in Daniels and Miley singling in Weaver and Harden.
Colquitt took the lead in the bottom of the fourth, scoring four times.
Dalton’s triple scored Underwood for the first run and Moore followed with another triple to score Dalton.
Johnson’s single chased home Moore and Griffin’s triple, the third of the inning, scored Johnson.
Rincon scored two in the top of the fifth, but Colquitt County matched those runs in bottom of the inning to hold a 9-7 lead heading into the sixth.
Upper Deck scored four in the top of the sixth to take an 11-9 lead.
But in the bottom of the sixth and final inning, Steptoe and Dalton led off with back-to-back singles and Moore tripled to tie the game at 11.
Upper Deck then intentionally walked Johnson and Griffin to load the bases with none out.
Autry then ended it with the grand slam.
Underwood, Dalton and Moore each had two hits and Miley, Whatley, Steptoe, Johnson, Griffin, Autry, Daniels, Weaver and Harden each had one.
Moore had two triple; Dalton and Griffin each had one triple; and Harden had a double.
Colquitt County then had to wait four hours while Upper Deck battled back through the losers bracket.
The two teams met again in the championship game and again, Colquitt had to come back from a five-run deficit.
After Upper Deck scored five in the top of the first, Colquitt County scored four in the bottom of the inning and tied the game with a run in the bottom of the second.
Colquitt took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with four runs.
Steptoe, Dalton and Moore each had singles to lead the bases with none out in the inning and, one out later, Griffin tripled to give Colquitt County the lead.
Autry then singled in Griffin to put Gold up 9-5.
But Upper Deck scored four in the top of the fifth to tie the game.
The tie did not last long.
In the bottom of the fifth, Weaver and Harden led off with singles and Miley tripled them home.
Whatley’s sacrifice fly scored Miley to put the Colquitt County lead at 12-9.
Colquitt then held Upper Deck scoreless in the top of the sixth to win the championship.
Miley, Steptoe, Dalton and Moore each had two hits in the championship game.
Whatley, Underwood, Johnson, Griffin, White, Weaver and Harden each had one hit.
Miley and Griffin had triples and Dalton a double.
