The regular season concluded in the 7-8-year-old boys machine pitch league Thursday night with six teams trying to improve tournament seeding.With Hoover & Son Insurance already assured the top spot, Eastside Market, Gary Steele Karate and O’Reilly Auto Parts went into Thursday looking to lock down top-four positions.Each team was successful, as Eastside Market defeated Barr’s Furniture 12-2, Gary Steele won 12-2 over Stewart Pharmacy and O’Reilly topped Burch Supply 17-3.Eastside Market knew a win would mean a second-place finish, but a loss to Barr’s on the last night would drop them into a tie with Gary Steele Karate.Three-hit games by Ryland Holder, Sam Davidson and Kason Holder helped Eastside Market finish the regular season with a 9-1 record.Charlie Moore, Jalyn Mart, Robbie Cole and Rheagan Woodlee chipped in two hits apiece.Will Wrisner, Clay Thompson, Samuel Cope, Chase Gannon, Jacob Norris and Dylan Partain had one hit each in the loss for Barr’s Furniture.Gary Steele (7-3) had put the pressure on Eastside Market when they pulled out a 10-run win behind strong games from Dawson Waldron and Xander Lee.Both players finished 3-for-3, including Lee delivering a two-run, inside-the-park home run to end the game.Braden Bottoms, Hayden Lytle, Tristan Vaughn, Trevor Wanamaker, Moises Burghes, Adam Pistol and Dante Elam also had hits in the win.Weston Wilson and Kolby Newby led Stewart’s Pharmacy with two hits in the loss. Wyatt Wilson, Jalen Watson, Bryson Elrod, Christian Rogers and Tristan Gilbert added one hit each.O’Reilly secured a fourth-place finish by ending its regular season 6-4 by beating Burch Supply by 14.Carter Smith, Brady McCormick and Jackson Smith led O’Reilly with four hits apiece. Jace Brantley, Elijah Smith, Kendall Patrick and Jeremiah Holt had three hits apiece.
Teams set for tourney