GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — Dylan Earnest and Philip Tice combined to lead the Pontotoc Red Sox to an impressive victory Thursday in their first game at the American Legion Mid-South Regional tournament.
Earnest, a recent graduate of Hamilton High School, threw a complete-game five-hitter to lead Pontotoc, the Mississippi state champion, to a 6-1 win against Texarkana, Ark., the Arkansas state champion, at Quick Trip Park.
“I didn”t have my best stuff,” Earnest said. “I just had to bear down and manage the game and mix my pitches.”
Earnest walked two, struck out 10, and allowed an unearned run to push Pontotoc into the winners” bracket, where it will play the winner of Thursday”s late game between the Kentucky state champion and the host team from Texas. Today”s game will be a part of a day-night doubleheader that begins at 4 p.m.
Earnest said his curveball wasn”t breaking as much as it can, so he had to throw it early in the count and when hitter didn”t expect it to keep them off balance. He said he was surprised to learn he struck out 10.
“I was just able to keep them off balance enough,” Earnest said. “If I didn”t (focus) I probably wouldn”t have been able to make it out of the third inning. My defense played good behind me. They made a couple of good plays.”
Said Tice, “He threw good. His curveball was working and he had a little velocity. he always throws good.”
Tice, a recent New Hope High graduate, went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI to help the Red Sox start the eight-team, double-elimination tournament off in fine fashion.
“I think I could have done better,” Tice said. “I got jammed one time and I struck out another time on a pitch in the dirt. I had a sac bunt and hit the ball hard on my two hits.”
Tice was moved from the No. 9 spot in the lineup to the leadoff position about two weeks ago. The switch hasn”t fazed him. After all, he hit leadoff this past season at New Hope High.
The regional champion will join seven other teams at the American Legion World Series on Aug. 13-17 at Avista Stadium in Spokane, Wash.
“I think we can win it,” Tice said of the Mid-South Regional. “We can hit really good. We didn”t hit that good today, but I think we have a pretty good chance.”
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