Washington County’s 9-year-old Little League all-stars clinched the top seed in the Texas East District 13 tournament bracket Monday after a 11-3 win over Sealy.
Sealy jumped on the county all-stars with a three-run first inning. All three runs were unearned thanks to two straight errors to open the frame.
Washington County recovered, though, with a five-run bottom of the first to take the lead. Grady Curtis and Case Knesek put down RBI hits after Preston Hodde started the inning with a walk.
After an RBI fielder’s choice tied the game, a bases-loaded walk drawn by Kase Andrejczak and an RBI single from Django Moffit gave Washington County a 5-3 lead.
Knesek added an RBI single to his tally in the second inning on a base hit into center field, giving the county all-stars a 6-3 cushion.
After a scoreless third inning, Washington County exploded for another five-run inning in the fourth. Sealy did not record an out in the frame as the county all-stars put down seven straight singles to enact the five-run maximum.
Hodde, Curtis, Knesek and Holden Hejl drove in runs on their hits with Hodde driving in the first two runs of the inning on his base hit into center field. Andrejczak, Moffit and Reese Haevischer got the inning going with three straight base hits.
Curtis and Knesek finished three-hit performances with their third-inning efforts. Knesek earned his second three-hit game of the tournament Monday while Curtis broke a two-game hitting drought and earned three of his four hits for the tournament on Monday.
Moffit also earned a two-hit performance after going 2 for 2 with an RBI. He recorded his second multi-hit game of the tournament and will take a four-game hitting streak into bracket play.
Washington County’s pitching staff excelled on the mound after the first inning. Moffit gave the county all-stars three innings of work with six strikeouts. Four of the strikeouts came after the first inning with his two first-inning strikeouts coming on consecutive batters to end the inning.
Moffit allowed just one hit and two walks in his start. Monday marked his first pitching stint of the tournament, making him the seventh different pitcher to take the mound in the district tournament for Washington County.
Hejl pitched the final two innings and earned five strikeouts with only two walks allowed. Monday marked his second pitching appearance of the tournament after opening the event with two no-hit innings against Bellville this past Friday.
Monday’s win made Washington County the only undefeated team in the tournament’s round robin pool play. The county all-stars allowed just six runs in pool play with 57 runs scored. Both marks led the tournament.
Earning the top seed in bracket play gave Washington County an extra day of rest. The county all-stars will begin its journey through the tournament’s double elimination bracket at 7 p.m. Saturday against the winner of Friday’s opening game between Bellville and La Grange.
Originally published on brenhambanner.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.