Published: July 18, 2008 11:58 pm            

Cruise control: Reds advance to TTAB state tournament with 13-3 win over Ennis AL

MILDRED — It took just five innings and the Texas Reds (Mildred) were hoisting their championship hardware at home plate.

In a dominating performance, the Reds cruised to a 13-3 win over Ennis American Legion in the District 4 Championship of the TTAB Junior division tournament at the MEN Baseball Complex in Mildred Friday.

“I felt like we could beat this team,” Reds’ coach Kenny Shimonek said. “All the teams thought we were the underdog, but the way we did in batting practice I knew that we were going to come out and beat them.

“We just had the momentum going and everybody was hitting.”

Both teams advance to the state tournament beginning July 28 in Athens.

With winning pitcher Danny Folsom regrouping after a shaky first inning to silence Ennis the rest of the way, Mildred’s offense piled on 16 hits in five innings.

In the top of the first, Ennis came out swinging as Nathan Dixon drove in the first run of the game with a triple.

A wild pitch by Folsom allowed Dixon to cross home plate before another Ennis run came in on a single by Cody Dixon.

After allowing three hits in the first inning, Folsom allowed just one in the following four with six total strike outs.

“(Folsom) came in and did a real good job for us going the whole game,” Shimonek said. “In the first inning he had the jitters, but once he got through it he calmed down.”

Mildred responded quickly in the bottom of the inning.

An RBI-single by Anthony McQuery was followed by a three-run double to center field by Rody Seilheimer to score Nic Shimonek, McQuery and Payton Weaver.

Ahead 4-3, the Reds continued to pound the ball in the bottom of the third.

A two-RBI double by Weaver, sacrifice-RBI by Seilheimer and RBI by Garrett May put the Reds up by five.

Mildred added two more runs in the fourth with an RBI-triple by Hunter Melton and Weaver coming in on a wild pitch.

Folsom got things started in the fifth with a triple, and was quickly brought in by a Brendan Hopkins single.

Shimonek followed with a double, with Melton hitting the game winning two-RBI triple. Shimonek was 4-for-4 while switch hitting at the plate with four runs.

Seilheimer produced four RBIs on the night, going 2-for-2 with two doubles while Melton was 2-for-3 with a walk, two triples, a run and three RBIs.

        

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