BABE RUTH WORLD SERIES: Mid-County goes 2-0 one day after delay

Published 8:30 pm Saturday, August 3, 2019

Carson Roccaforte made his presence in Mobile, Alabama, known.

Roccaforte drove in five runs, including a three-run home run, as Mid-County defeated Vancouver, Washington, 10-4, to finish Saturday’s play in the Babe Ruth 16- to 18-year-old World Series 2-0. Mid-County beat Onondaga, New York, 3-2, earlier in the day, thanks in no small part to Roccaforte’s go-ahead double.

Mid-County (11-0), the Southwest Regional champion, will be off Sunday and is scheduled to take on Crown Point, Indiana, at 10 a.m. Monday in the third of four pool play games.

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Roccaforte, the Port Neches-Groves senior who was just voted 5A All-State honorable mention by the Texas Sports Writers Association, keyed a five-run third inning that erased a 4-0 deficit and kept the Nederland-based team in front for good. Landon Hiltz and Adam Roccaforte hit back-to-back RBI singles at the top of the order to begin the rally, setting up Roccaforte’s two-run double to center field. Omar Mascorro singled in the fifth run.

A two-out walk for Hiltz in the fourth inning brought Austin Schaper home. Kamden Grant made it 7-4 in the fifth with another single.

The last three runs were scratched in the sixth on a Carson Roccaforte homer to right field. Mid-County finished with 10 hits to Vancouver’s two.

Grant Rogers struck out four and allowed an earned run (four total) on two hits in five innings for the win. Noah Gregory struck out four in 1 2/3 innings.

Vancouver plated three runs in the first and one in the second.

Carson Roccaforte, Grant and Rogers each had two hits in the win.

Against Onondaga, Cade Holyfield threw 1 1/3 perfect innings for the win, fanning one.

All the scoring was done in the sixth inning. Mid-County seemed to gain some momentum when Adam Roccaforte, Hiltz and Mascorro turned a 4-6-3 double play. But starter Peyton Miller ran into trouble with three straight walks and hit a batter to force in the first walk. A fourth walk that inning made it 2-0, and Holyfield was called to the mound and induced a groundout.

Brian Davila walked to open the Mid-County half of the sixth and advanced on Holyfield’s sacrifice bunt. Hiltz and Adam Roccaforte both singled, with Roccaforte’s hit tying the game. Still with one out, Carson Roccaforte hit a go-ahead double to score his first cousin.

Adam Roccaforte (two hits) was the only multiple hitter for Mid-County, which had four hits, as did Onondaga.

Miller tossed seven strikeouts and allowed two earned runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings of a game where all the scoring took place in the sixth inning.

 

 

About I.C. Murrell

I.C. Murrell was promoted to editor of The News, effective Oct. 14, 2019. He previously served as sports editor since August 2015 and has won or shared eight first-place awards from state newspaper associations and corporations. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up mostly in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

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