11-12s pull off another reversal of fortune

The Destin Little League 11-12 baseball All-Star team came from behind for the second straight game to capture a 8-5 victory over the Tri-County Jay Little League team Monday night in Shalimar.

The victory kept Destin alive in the District 1 Little League World Series tournament and improved their record to three wins and one loss.
Destin got into early trouble against Jay, giving up three runs in the first inning and two more in the third inning. But the Destin bats came alive to tie the game in the second inning and again in the third inning before striking three winning runs in the fourth inning.

Destin hitters Cody Moore and Tiger Schyed had big nights at the plate, with Moore hitting a triple and two doubles with an RBI, and Schyed hitting two singles and a double to drive in the winning runs in the fourth inning.

Destin pitcher Drew Collowich came in to pitch for Destin in the third inning and held the Jay batters hitless for three innings of the game to get the win, with Reece Trainor closing the game for Destin in the top of sixth inning.

The first inning saw Jay hitters combine for three hits and a walk to get three runs on the board off Destin pitchers Cody Kilpatrick and Frazier Shoults. The bottom of the first saw Destin get their first run of the game when Griff Anderson got to first base on a Jay fielding error with two outs and then a score when Cody Moore tripled to right center.

After Shoults held Jay scoreless in the top of the second inning, the Destin bats continued to stay hot as Schyed singled and then scored when Jesse Madeya singled to left center. The Jay pitcher then walked the bases loaded and scored Coby Smith, who was pinch running for Madeya, as Destin tied the game 2-2 at the end of the second.

After starting with one out, Jay batters got four straight hits off Shoults to score two more runs in the third inning and take a 5-3 lead. Drew Collowich relieved Shoults on the mound for Destin and ended the Jay rally by striking out the next two batters he faced.

The bottom of the third started great for Destin with Collowich getting a single up the middle, and then Rilee Wrobel getting to first on a fielder's choice when Collowich was forced out at second.

Tiger Scheyd then doubled over the head of the Jay center fielder and Wrobel scored. Grey Carter and Frazier Shoults both drew walks to move Scheyd to third, where he scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 5 runs apiece.

Jay hitters went silent for the third and fourth innings as Collowich struck out six of the nine batters he faced. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Destin hitters again jumped on Jay, pitching as Anderson, Moore and Collowich got three hits to start the inning and load the bases.

Smart base running by Anderson allowed Collowich to get to first after he grounded to third and Anderson was able to start home, but then get back to third base safely as the Jay third baseman threw home to prevent the runner from advancing.

After Cody Kilpatrick hit an infield pop-up for an out, Scheyd hit a hard line drive off the first baseman's glove into right field to drive in two runs to give Destin their first lead of the night. Drew Collowich then scored from third on a wild pitch to give Destin an 8-5 lead going into the fifth inning.

In that inning, Destin again got a two out rally going with Anderson reaching first on an error by the Jay shortstop and then moving to third on Cody Moore's second double of the night into the gap in right center field. But Destin was unable to get more runs home when Collowich flied out to the pitcher.

The top of the sixth inning for Jay saw their last chance to score on Destin be shut down by reliever Reese Trainor, who started the inning with a strike out and a ground ball out to the short stop after walking one Jay batter. Destin second baseman Frasier Shoults then ended Jay's hopes when he snagged a hard hit line drive for the third out to end the game.

Destin pitchers Kilpatrick, Shoults, Collowich and Trainor combined to allow Jay five runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out seven batters with only one error in the field by the Destin defense. Jay pitchers allowed eight runs on eight hits, five walks and three errors in the field.

Destin stays alive in the elimination bracket of the Florida District One Little League World Series tournament and will face the winner of the Shalimar versus Freeport game on Tuesday night in Shalimar. Results were unavailable as of press time.