By Staff
Mike Self FCT Sports Editor
RED BAY - Jesse Edwards doubled home Nathan Hamilton in the top of the seventh inning on Wednesday to lift Belgreen to its first win of the season, a 12-11 victory over Red Bay.
The Tigers led 7-0 after one inning and 8-1 through three, but Belgreen rallied to take the lead with four runs in the fourth and five more in the fifth.
The Bulldogs added another run in the top of the sixth, but Red Bay scored three runs in the bottom half to tie the game 11-11.
Hamilton beat out an infield hit in the seventh and advanced to second on a single by Kalan McNatt. Edwards followed with an RBI double to put Belgreen on top by one.
The Tigers got their leadoff man on in the bottom of the seventh, but Justin Gardner retired three straight batters to preserve the win.
Gardner, who came on in relief in the first inning and went the rest of the way, was the winning pitcher.
Bradley Long took the loss in relief for Red Bay.
Brandon Brown led the Tigers at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two RBIs.
Byron Hellums was 2-for-5 with a double, and Long went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.
Cody Armstrong and Sammy Thigpen each added two hits for Red Bay, which played without senior starters Kurt Kennedy and Randy Lowery (both were out of town).
Edwards had two doubles for Belgreen, and McNatt and Jonathan Snipes each added two hits. Snipes had four RBI.
In other local action:
Covenant Christian 5 Belgreen 1
Kalan McNatt's RBI double in the first inning gave the Bulldogs an early lead, but the Eagles rallied for the win behind a strong pitching performance by John Robert Townsend.
Covenant Christian 12 Red Bay 0
The Eagles scored three runs in the first and three in the second en route to the win.