Campbell County falls 20-10 in shootout at AC

  District 3-AAA rivals Campbell County and Anderson County packed a lot into five innings of high school baseball Saturday on the Mavericks’ field.

Dwane Wilder

CCHS pitcher Andy Hickman faces an Anderson County batter during Saturday afternoon’s game.

Buy this photo

Dwane Wilder

Lance Webber heads home after hitting a 3-run shot.

Buy this photo

Dwane Wilder

Cody Willoughby fouls a pitch as his teammates watch from the Campbell County dugout.

Buy this photo

Dwane Wilder

Aaron Chapman bears down on an Anderson County batter.

Buy this photo

Dwane Wilder

Bo Farris zeroes in on a pitch during the Anderson County game.

Buy this photo

View Map

The teams combined for a whopping 30 runs, 24 hits and a couple of homers in a game that was shortened by two full innings due to the 10-run slaughter rule.

AC won 20-10, but it wasn’t as easy as it looked. The score was 11-10 in the fourth inning before the Mavericks (4-3 district, 7-6 overall) finally began to break away.

Campbell County (2-3 district, 6-5 overall) took advantage of an error, one of two on the day for AC, to get on the scoreboard first, 1-0. Cody Willoughby (2-for-3) scored the run when Lance Webber (2-for-3, HR, 4 RBI) reached on an error.

Daniel Newman gave the Mavericks their first lead with a 2-run single in the bottom of the first inning. AC scored two more runs, including an RBI double by Alex Allen, before the inning was out to take a 4-1 advantage.

The Cougars answered the bell with half a dozen runs in the top of the second inning. Donovan Long sparked the rally with a double, and then came home on a triple by Bo Farris (2-for-3). Stephen Alley (2-for-3) drove in Farris with a double and later scored on a perfectly executed squeeze bunt by Chris Hutson (2-for-2) that tied the game, 4-4.

Webber broke the deadlock with an impressive 3-run homer to dead center field. However, Campbell County’s 7-4 advantage was short-lived.

Newman also took advantage of gusty winds to crank out his own homer, a 2-run shot in the bottom of the second inning, that soared over the fence in left field and allowed the Mavericks to tie it 7-7.

Wes Stooksbury put AC ahead for good, 8-7, with an RBI single in the bottom of the third. Trinity Carroll drove in Stooksbury with a double and also scored before the inning was out to give AC an 11-7 edge.

Webber and Andrew Dykes kicked off another Campbell County rally with run scoring singles in the top of the fourth inning. Kelly McKamey drove in another run to get the visitors within 11-10.

However, the game would get no closer. With RBI doubles from junior Bryson Roberts and freshman Tyler Hicks, the Mavericks exploded for half a dozen runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 17-10 lead.

AC scored three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to put the game away.

The Cougars went through four pitchers — Aaron Chapman, Andy and David Hickman and Kelly McKamey — but could not keep the Mavericks off the base paths.

AC ended up with twice as many hits (16) as Campbell County.

The Cougars also shot themselves in the foot by committing four costly errors.