Most of Womack Printing’s wins in the boys junior league this season came with Taylor Smith on the mound, so there was little doubt who would have the ball in his hands when the team battled Homeland Bank for the tournament championship Monday night.
Smith had 11 strikeouts and finished with two hits as well to power Womack Printing to 4-1 victory while claiming the tournament championship.
Homeland Bank, which earned its way into the title tilt with a 1-0 win over Prater’s BBQ in the first game Monday at Sam Martin Field, scored its lone run in the first inning before Smith put the clamps on the visitor’s offense.
Connor Nunley led off the game with a hit off Smith and would ultimately score on Quin Goodson’s RBI single smacked through the middle of the infield. Smith ended the inning with a strikeout and wouldn’t allow another hit until the sixth inning.
Womack Printing would come back to knot the score in the bottom of the second inning. After Smith struck out the side in the top half of the inning, Matthew Young sparked the offense with a lead-off single. Young proved to be the tying run when he scored on an error off the bat of Sean Cope.
Reagan Woodlee gave Womack Printing the lead for good in the following inning. The team’s clean-up hitter came to the plate with two on and one out as Nathan Elrod and Logan Earls each were issued walks by Goodson. Instead of sitting back and looking for another walk, Woodlee jumped on the first pitch he saw and sent the ball sailing into the outfield. Elrod and Earls each scored on the play, giving Smith more than enough run support to bring home the championship.
Smith helped his own cause in the fourth inning by following a two-out Elrod double with a RBI double of his own. He followed it up by striking out the side in the fifth inning, getting his team within three outs of the championship.
Like it had all tournament though, Homeland Bank wouldn’t go away easily. The team that finished last in the regular season, only to rally to the tournament championship game, got a break with two outs when Nunley drew a walk. Jake Jones followed with a single to bring the tying run to the plate.
Will Wrisner tried to keep the dream run through the tournament alive, but Smith had one last fastball in his arsenal. Smith blew by the final strike to end the game and start a big celebration for Womack Printing.
Smith and Woodlee led Womack Printing with two hits apiece in the championship game while Elrod, Young and Cope had one hit each.
Nunley, Jones and Goodson each had hits for Homeland Bank.
Jones pitched Homeland Bank into the championship game by tossing a complete-game shutout against Prater’s BBQ. Jones finished with 10 strikeouts while allowing just three hits in the loser’s bracket finals game.
Jason Jacobs was the offensive hero as his bases-loaded single in the third inning broke the tie and proved to be the difference.
Rance McBride, Layne Roberts and Alex Smith had hits for Prater’s BBQ, which finished third in the tournament.