10-and-under win state championship

Published 9:47 pm Saturday, July 22, 2006

MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County 10-and-under Gold all-stars, winners of seven straight Georgia Recreation and Parks Association tournament games, may have been a little tight for Saturday’s state tournament championship game in Vidalia.

Colquitt County, which had lost just one other tournament game this summer, came up on the short end of a 6-4 decision to Swainsboro, the losers bracket survivor, and faced the “if” game for the state championship.

Not to worry.

Gold got back to its double-digit scoring in Saturday’s second game, blanking Swainsboro 12-0, to bring the state championship back to Moultrie.

“We’re real excited for them,” Colquitt County coach Joey Hathcock said. “They didn’t give up.

“I think they were a little tight for the first game. They had some butterflies. But we still play them close.”

Swainsboro scored four runs in the first inning and two more in the third.

Colquitt County did not get on the scoreboard until the third inning, scoring two runs and adding two more in the fifth.

They were not enough.

Mack Hathcock and Oshay Williams led Colquitt County with three hits each in the game.

Daniel Mobley, Cason Wells, Eric Gould and Drew Penuel each added a hit.

But there were no butterflies and little doubt about which was the better team in the second game, which was played in temperatures that rose above 100 degrees.

“We were the visitors in the second game and scored three runs right off the bat,” Hathcock said. “We got on them right away. Then we played great defense.”

Gold added three more in the second inning, had a single run in the third and then blew the championship game open with a five-run sixth inning.

The first five Colquitt County batters reached base and scored in the inning.

Colquitt County turned two double plays, including a convention 6-4-3, that went from shortstop Daniel Mobley to second baseman Mack Hathcock to first baseman Gabe Mobley.

The other twin-killing was a big one.

With Swainsboro runners at second and third and one out in the fourth inning, Oshay Williams took an infield roller and threw to Gabe Mobley to retire the batter at first.

Mobley then threw to catcher Alex Pate to get the runner trying to score from third to retire the side.

The play seemed to deflate Swainsboro, which never threatened again.

John Gray led Colquitt County offensively with a pair of singles, a double and three runs scored.

Gabe Mobley and Drew Penuel each had three singles. Hathcock, Daniel Mobley, Jonah Bozeman, Wells and Williams each had two singles.

Eric Gould had one base hit and Eli Stripling turned in a crucial stolen base.

Hathcock, Bozeman and Daniel Mobley each scored two runs. Wells, Williams and Penuel scored the others.

Pate and Tony Simpson shared the catching duties on the hot afternoon in Vidalia.

The received solid contributions from all the players on the roster. Gold had no real standout player and made good use of its team chemistry.

Most of the members of the team also played together two years ago as 8-year-olds and had an excellent tournament summer.

This year, the team lost just two games all summer. The other was to Thomasville in a single-elimination tournament in Americus.

“This really is a good group of kids,” Hathcock said.