Chamblee’s Joseph Brown (headed home on wild pitch) had a big day with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored against Southwest DeKalb. (Photo by Mark Brock)
Joseph Brown’s RBI double in the bottom of the fifth inning broke a 3-3 tie on the way to a 5-3 Region 5-5A baseball victory for the Chamblee Bulldogs over the Southwest DeKalb Panthers on Monday at Chamblee.
Emari Hill led off the bottom of the fifth with a walk and stolen base to set up the go-ahead run for the Bulldogs (18-7, 7-2).
Brown stepped to the plate with a perfect day of 2-2 and a RBI double against Southwest DeKalb pitcher Javeon Cody. He wasted little time lining a hard hit ball over the leftfielder’s head for a standup double to push Hill across to give the Bulldogs a 4-3 advantage.
He would score an insurance run later in the inning as a pair of wild pitches allowed him to move to third and eventually get in past the tag at home for the 5-3 Bulldog lead.
Chamblee starter Ben Lang was facing a two-out, runners on first and second situation in the top of the sixth when he got his fifth strikeout of the game to end the threat.
Lang would put up his fourth 1-2-3 inning against the Panthers (10-8, 3-4) in the seventh to get the complete game victory.
The Bulldogs opened the bottom of the first inning by plating three runs to go up 3-0. A leadoff walk by Adam Dixon and a single by Hill put runners on for Brown. Brown came through with his first one-out, RBI double of the game to score Dixon and put runners at second and third.
One out later, Travis Hammond delivered a clutch two-out, two-RBI single with a liner into right field that put the Bulldogs up 3-0.
Lang cruised through the first three innings setting down the first nine Panthers he faced to take the 3-0 lead into the fourth inning.
Southwest DeKalb’s Javeon Cody crushes a homer against Chamblee. Catcher Preston Rogers was behind the plate for Chamblee. (Photo by Mark Brock)
Cody started off a big three-run inning for the Panthers with a towering solo homerun to left center to break up Lang’s perfect game through three innings.
Justin Josey walked following Cody’s homer and Channing Walker singled to bring Justin Smith to the plate. Smith laid down a bunt and all three runners were safe to load the bases with no outs in the inning.
Lang got a strikeout, but a ground ball off the bat of Theo Bryant scored Josey and a possible double-play turned into an error that allowed Walker to score the tying run.
A liner to Jack Bennett at short turned into a double-play as he threw to second to catch the runner too far off base and end the inning with the game tied at 3-3.
Chamblee’s Ben Lang threw a complete game in a 5-3 Region 5-5A victory over Southwest DeKalb. (Photo by Mark Brock)
Chamblee threatened in the bottom of the fourth as Teddy Ewing started the inning off with a single. Cody worked out of it with a strikeout, a nice diving catch by right fielder Neiman Bruno and an infield pop up to keep the game tied at 3-3.
Brown would lead all hitters on the day with his 3-3 performance, two doubles and two RBIs. Hill finished 1-1 with two runs scored while getting hit by a pitch twice while at bat.
Lang finished the day with seven innings pitched and five strikeouts while allowing three runs (2 earned), three hits, three walks and one hit batsman. Cody allowed six hits, five runs, two walks, two hit batsman in five innings on the mound while striking out four.