BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Ayden Elixson and Erick Lasseter each drove in two runs as part of a seven-run fifth inning as the Union County High School baseball team defeated Fort White 12-2 in six innings in the semifinals of the District 6-1A tournament on May 2 in Branford.
Starting pitcher Devin Diggs held the Indians to two runs and two hits through four innings. He had six strikeouts. Lasseter pitched the final two innings, giving up one hit and striking out two.
Union (17-7), the tournament’s second seed, will play for the championship on Thursday, May 4, at 7 p.m. at Branford High School.
An error on a fly ball in the bottom of the second allowed Lasseter, who reached on a walk, to score, but the sixth seed Indians (4-12) scored two runs in the top of the third to take a one-run lead. Matthew Pitts reached on an error, which put him at second. After moving to third on a wild pitch, he scored on a Brad Sullivan single. Sullivan advanced to third on an error and scored on Gavin Crews’ sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the third, the Tigers got a two-run double from Tre’Von Lee, scoring Jeremy Miller, who was hit by a pitch, and Elixson, who singled.
An Elixson ground out in the fourth scored Jake Walker, who was hit by a pitch, putting Union up 4-2.
Blake Agner got the scoring started in the fifth, hitting a double that scored Preston Bonsall, who walked. After Ethan Moody hit a single to score courtesy runner Baler Waters, Miller was hit by a pitch. Elixson then delivered a two-run single, followed by Tucker Hardee’s RBI double. Lee drew a walk before Lasseter hit a two-run double, making the score 11-2.
Elixson, who went 3 for 5 with four RBI, drove in the final run in the sixth on a single, which scored Moody, who reached on a double.
Lasseter and Lee finished with two RBI each, while Agner, Hardy and Moody, who went 2 for 3, each had one.
