The Carolina Tomcats dominated the State tournament at Timken Complex this past weekend with a four game sweep, earning the championship title and making coaches Ernie West and Danny Hammett proud.
“We started out slow the first two games being it was our first tournament of the summer together,” said West. “But we managed to pull it out and add a State Championship to our resume.”
In game one, the Tomcats defeated the Carolina Rattlers (Kings Mountain, NC), 9-7. The winning pitcher was Jordan Sherbert, a left handed hurler from Chesnee, SC.
Union’s Will Palmer led the offensive attack with three hits while Dustin West, Kennedy Beatty and Franklin Thompson each had two hits. Jonathon Lewis, Tyler Parker and Sherbert each added a hit.
Game two pitted the Tomcats against the Carolina Grizzlies (a Dorman area based team) with the Tomcats emerging, 10-3.
Broome High School’s David Burress got the win from the mound while Dustin West led at the plate, going 3-3.
Palmer, Beatty, Thompson, and Lewis each contributed hits.
The wins on Saturday afforded the Tomcats a top seed heading into Sunday’s game against the Grizzlies with the winner advancing to the championship game.
The Tomcats began to play what coach West likes to call “Tomcat baseball” and eliminated the Grizzlies in an 8-4 contest.
Dustin West and Parker Babcock pounded out two hits apiece while Palmer and Thompson had one each and Josh Epley, of Forrest City, NC, earned the win from the mound.
Then came the championship game where the Tomcats faced off with the Palmetto State Predators, 12-5.
Josh Haney, of Prosperity, SC, pitched a complete game with five strikeouts for a 12-5 Tomcats victory.
Dustin West, again led the offense with three hits. Burress and Lewis each had two hits each while Palmer, Parker, Beatty, Haney and Khadarius Dean each added hits.
Coach West stated that he has always loved the game of baseball and coaching kids.
“I feel like the good Lord takes care of me for doing so too,” said West. “I tell the boys all the time that I get paid through them doing something I have taught them to do and that no dollar can replace that feeling in life, period.”
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