Adairsville takes down Mountaineers with late inning burst

The Adairsville Tigers sent eleven men to the plate in a seven-run sixth inning Thursday night to take control of a difficult battle and defeat the visiting North Murray Mountaineers, 11-3.

The Region 6-AAA victory enables the Tigers to remain on pace for one of the league’s four state playoff berths with seven games remaining on the regular season slate. Adairsville is one of three teams tied for third place in the region with a 7-4 mark.

Tigers’ pitcher Kyler Pelfrey tossed a complete game for the victory. Only one of the three runs against him were earned. He allowed only five hits and two walks while striking out ten.

Adairsville held a 2-0 lead in the first inning before North Murray tied the game in the third, 2-2. The Tigers went back on top 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Mountaineers stayed close with a run in the fifth inning.

Holding a 4-3 lead through the top of the sixth inning, the Tigers’ offense exploded for a seven-run, seven-hit inning to put the game away.

Pelfrey issued his only two walks of the night to Mountaineers in the seventh, but fanned two in the inning as well to close out the night in 95 pitches (69 for strikes).

Hunter Hice paced the Tigers’ bats with a 3-for-3 performance that included a double and three RBI. Garrett Mishoe had a double and one RBI. BJ Roper (RBI), Halen Huskins (RBI), Corey Nation (RBI), Noah Dutton, Caden Gibbs, and Pelfrey added one hit apiece.

Logan McCurdy had two of the Mountaineers’ five hits. Nick Hagin (5.1 IP, 9R, 8ER, 9H, 1BB, 3K) started on the mound and was the pitcher of record in the sixth inning to suffer the North Murray pitching loss. Connor Rice retired the final two outs of the sixth and was responsible for the final two Tigers’ runs.

The Mountaineers slip to 5-16 overall and 2-9 with the loss.

Adairsville (14-7, 7-4) hits the road Friday to play at Coahuila Creek at 5:55 p.m.