Storm wins LaGrange tournament

Published 8:27 pm Thursday, April 6, 2006

MOULTRIE — Colquitt County’s South Georgia Storm won the recent USSSA Baseball Director’s Cup Challenge in LaGrange, beating out 10 Atlanta-area teams and qualifying fo the 2006 USSSA Director’s Cup Tournament to be held May 5-7 in Morrow.

The Storm opened the tournament with a 13-7 victory the Georgia Stallions, with Cole Pitts, Zac Goodno and Blake Stamps each getting two hits. Tyler Brown, Hayden Kudela, Daylon Connell and Payne Newsome had the others.

Kudela pitched the first three innings. Connell pitched the final three.

Pitts pitched three innings and had a two-run home run as one of his two hits as the Storm defeated the Hopewell Mustangs 13-5 in its second game. Goodno, Stamps, Newsome and Ryan Davis also had two hits. Kudela, Connell, Skylar Lindsey and Matt Creech each had one hit.

Davis also pitched three innings and Goodno pitched one.

Kudela and Connell each had three hits and Stamps contributed a two-run homer as the Storm continued to advance with a 16-1, three-inning victory over the Peachtree City Cubs. Goodno, Stamps and Creech each had two hits and Brown and Vann Pitts each had one hit.

Goodno pitched all three innings.

The Storm headed to the championship game after defeating the Hebron Angels 12-4 in five innings.

Davis led the offense with three hits. Brown, Kudela, Goodno, Lindsey and Cole Pitts each had two. Newsome and Vann Pitts each had one.

In the championship game victory over the Peachtree City Vipers, Cole Pitts went the distance, striking out 13 batters and also hitting a two-run homer.

Goodno, Connell, Newsome and Cole Pitts each had two hits. Stamps and Skylar Lindsey had the others.

The Storm batted .404 for the tournament.

The team includes Goodno, Creech, Davis, Lindsey, Stamps, Newsome, Kudela, Brown, Connell, Vann Pitts, Cole Pitts and Taylor Barber. The coaches are Mark Davis and Kent Kudela.