Tyrone Mathis slugged a 3-run home run to highlight a 5-run fifth inning that propelled Elizabethtown to a 9-5 victory over Lumberton National in the District 9 Minors Tournament at Red Springs.
Lumberton National grabbed an early 1-0 lead and had another rally ended by Elizabethtown shortstop Evan Pait who made a leaping over-the-shoulder catch in short left-centerfield then fired a strike to first-baseman Walker Ward to double a National runner off first and end the third inning.
Elizabethtown broke through with four runs in the fourth inning, but the Nationals rallied with 2 runs in the top of the fifth. Pait came on in relief to pitch out of a bases-loaded situation in that inning and keep Elizabethtown ahead 4-3.
Mathis walloped his home run to center-field in the bottom of the fifth as the winners stretched their lead to 9-3. Lumberton added 2 runs in the sixth.
Elijah Bullard and Jackson Wright belted 2 hits each and scored twice for Elizabethtown. Mathis, Pait and Garrison Tatum also scored 2 runs each for the winners. Coleman Tatum, Garrison Tatum and Mathis collected one hit each.
Coleman Tatum started on the mound for Elizabethtown and struck out 4, walked 4 and allowed a hit in 2 innings of work. Mathis relieved in the third and allowed a walk and a hit to pick up the win.
Ward came on in the fifth, struck out one, walked two and gave up a hit. Pait worked out of the fifth-inning jam with a strike-out and a ground-out. Bullard pitched the sixth inning and allowed 2 walks and a hit.
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