By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Hinesville Lodge advances in playoffs
KnockOut
Chemtall player Gregory Dorsey gave fans a scare when he hit the ground after he was accidentally hit in the face by a catcher trying to tag him out at home. Dorsey was OK and was able to finish the game. - photo by By Patty Leon / Coastal Courier
Game five of the Liberty County Recreation Department's junior league baseball season had the Hinesville Lodge team waging a battle against Chemtall on Tuesday afternoon.
The Lodge jumped to an early and uncontested lead in the first inning, 5-0.
Chemtall struggled the whole game, allowing wild throws and walks to keep the Lodge ahead. It looked like the Lodge would win by the run rule in the third, but Chemtall denied the Lodge an early win by eking out two runs.
The Lodge flexed its muscle, bringing in six more runs for a 12-2 lead at the top of the fifth.
However, Chemtall was not about to call it quits and approached its last at-bat with determination. With stealthy base running and a few hits, Chemtall later brought in four runs to end the game behind by six, 12-6.
"I didn't want to give them that many runs back," Hinesville Lodge coach Tracey Howard said about the last inning rally by Chemtall. "But I was pretty sure we had the victory. He said he was confident in Lodge pitcher, Adam Corwin going the distance and closing the game.
"He only threw 48 pitches so I was looking for him to be able to close that out," he said. Howard said the game showed the Lodge team he had been looking for all season.
"We've had the ability all year long; we just had not played to that ability," he said.
"It just goes to show you how the team has develop through the course of the season," Chemtall head coach Mike Gould said about his players' tenacity to stay in the game and not give up. "I'm pleased with the season and the way all our players developed over the season. We were the fourth seed coming into the game."
Gould said he wanted to instill good sportsmanship in addition to the hard work it takes to perform well. He said he enjoys being able to develop the players' skill and having them give 100 percent for the entire game.

Other playoff news:
In the mite league, Coastal Oral Surgery earned a third place seed at the playoffs when they defeated Neely Ceramics. It was Neely's first loss of the regular season. As the double elimination playoff got underway folks were surprised when Neely was eliminated early. Coastal Oral Surgery lost game one of the double eliminator but kept itself in it Tuesday afternoon by defeating Rotary 8-4. However, they were eliminated that same Tuesday evening when they lost to American Legion 19-9.

Sign up for our e-newsletters