PREP BASEBALL

While Elkmont’s softball team fell short Tuesday against Lauderdale County, nearby on campus, the baseball team faced the Tigers and pulled off a 10-7 victory after a four-run surge in the sixth.

Elkmont’s Kevin Mykell Murrah took the mound for the Red Devils, pitching a gem. He went five innings in which only two of the five runs allowed were earned and finished with one walk and eight strikeouts.

Four of those runs by the Tigers came in the first inning with two outs. Lauderdale County added one more run in the third on an RBI single to take a 5-0 lead heading into the fourth.

“Murrah pitched a heck of a game,” Elkmont head coach Robert Reece said. “Even when things didn’t go his way early with some plays that should have been made, he continued to do his job and keep pitching.”

The Red Devils bats came alive in the bottom of the fourth. Clayton Boley got a single that seemed to open the floodgates for the offense. Thomas Clay Looney reached on an error in the next at-bat, followed by a walk to Jack Thomas, giving the Red Devils bases loaded with only one out, and they were able to take advantage.

Preston Robinson hit an RBI single, Braxton Ryan Boyd walked and Murrah hit a two-run single to bring them within one run of the Tigers. But the Red Devils added two more runs to take a 6-5 lead in the next two at-bats — one run by way of an error, and another from Murrah successfully stealing home.

The Tigers retook the lead 7-6 in the top of the sixth on an RBI single from Ethan Hamm, but that lead was quickly taken away in the bottom half of the inning. A bases-loaded walk to Elkmont’s Ty Roberts tied things up at 7-7. The next at-bat, however, spread the lead to 10-7 on a three-run double by Shane Boger, ultimately sealing Elkmont’s sixth win of the year.

“He worked an eight-pitch at-bat in the biggest situation in the game, fighting off tough pitches until he got one to hit,” Reece said.

Seven of the nine Red Devils batters finished with at least one hit, Preston Robinson finished with three hits, and Boger led the team in RBI’s with three.

“We were down 5-0 early in the game to a good Lauderdale County team. A lot of teams would have thrown in the towel, but we never quit and continued to play hard,” Reece said. “That shows the character of our guys. We have several guys who are fighting through injuries and are in pain every pitch, but they are giving everything that they have for our team.”