The Columbia 9u All-Stars are heading to the state tournament after winning the district title last weekend at Dean Griner.
Columbia began play Friday night and carried a 5-3 lead into the fifth inning, but two errors on the same play with the bases loaded led to St. Martin scratching across three runs to take a 6-5 lead. Two pitches later, St. Martin tacked on another run on a wild pitch.
But then Columbia fought back. Kole Louge and Carter Fortenberry walked to set up a Jack Carney two-run single that tied the game at 7-7. Two batters later, Kolby Stringer plated a run with a single to left as Columbia recaptured the lead. Hagen Forbes tacked on an insurance run to cap off the four-run inning with an opposite field RBI single.
“Friday night was a hard-fought game,” coach Hunter Forbes said. “We caught some breaks and had some unfortunate breaks that didn’t go our way at times. I was proud of the kids for battling back, not showing any quit. They showed a lot of grit, determination and effort, and we were able to pull it out 9-7.”
Although Columbia was coming off of a win Friday night, the 9u All-Stars’ bats didn’t play up to their potential in the 9-7 win, but that changed Saturday.
Columbia dominated Sumrall to open the day Saturday, 20-1, ending the game in just three innings.
Logan Buckley, Robbie Sorrell, Braxton Albritton, Daniel Lowery and Forbes each scored three times with Buckley plating the game’s first runs with a two-run home run in the first inning. Owen Simmons scored twice, while Kolby Stringer, Logan Green and Louge each scored once.
Later in the day, Columbia claimed the district title with a 14-8 win over St. Martin led by a 15-hit charge.
“I’m proud of our ability to be able to bounce back on Saturday and really hit the baseball hard against St. Martin,” Forbes said. “We hit big in key spots when we needed to hit.”
Buckley led the offense with three runs scored, Simmons scored twice and the rest of the team each scored once.
As Columbia prepares for the state tournament, Forbes believes the Marion County team will be able to make the necessary adjustments.
“There’s still some errors and small things we need to clean up this week at practice,” he said. “I think by the first pitch Friday night in the state tournament, we’re going to be ready to go. We’re looking forward to trying to win our third state championship in a row. We’re excited about the opportunity to compete.”
The Columbia 9u All-Stars will play at Tatum Park in Hattiesburg this weekend for the state tournament, beginning Friday night.
Pictured Above: Jack Carney squares around to bunt against St. Martin. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
