Eufaula bounced from tourney

By Andy Brown

Published: June 25, 2008

A pair of controversial rulings at second base helped the Dothan National Red bounce the Eufaula Dixie Youth All-Stars from sub-district play by scoring a 9-6 victory Monday night at Westgate Park in Dothan.

The first came in the game’s opening inning.

Eufaula’s Casey Boothe belted a three-run home run that would have given Eufaula a commanding 6-0 lead. According to Eufaula head coach Jimmy King, after Boothe rounded second base, the first base umpire instructed the Dothan head coach to appeal the home run citing that Boothe had missed second base. The coach did, and the umpire called Boothe out for the final out of the inning and the three runs were erased from the scoreboard.

Eufaula led 3-0.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Jimmy King said. “I understand the rule about if a runner misses the base, but I’ve never heard of an umpire going and telling a coach to protest a play. It wasn’t even (the first base umpire’s) call. We protested that two of the runs scored before Casey was called out, but it didn’t do any good.”

In the sixth inning, with Jake Williams on first base and Andrew King on second base, Robbie Derrow hit what amounted to a swinging bunt down the third base line. The third baseman fielded the ball and fired to second base.

According to Jimmy King, the second baseman missed the bag, but Andrew King was called out for the game’s final out.

“Those two plays cost us,” Jimmy King said. “You hate to say umpires cost you the game, but these guys got us in the end.”

Despite the game’s outcome, Jimmy King was proud of his team’s effort.

“These kids played hard,” he said. “They never gave up, and they played a real good game.”

Derrow tossed three innings for Eufaula in the loss, while Linc Anderson hit a solo home run in the sixth inning.

“Robbie did a good job of keeping us in the game and giving us a chance to win, and everyone hit the ball,” Jimmy King said. “Linc got us a home run in the last inning. We just needed a couple of guys on in front of him.”

Eufaula’s tournament run lasted just three games.

After a 14-1 win against Wicksburg in its tournament opener Friday night, Eufaula was forced into the loser’s bracket by a 12-0 loss to the Dothan American Blue one day later.

A win Monday night would have secured Eufaula a spot in the District VI tournament in Ozark; instead the Dothan National Red will advance.

Eufaula team members included Anderson, Boothe, Derrow, Williams , Hayden Baugh, Stephen Dollar, Andrew King, Tyler King, Tanner Little, Kyle Morris, Nick Shelley and Cole Woodruff.

Jimmy King was assisted by Eddie Boothe and Chad Shelley.