Out of the running

 The Corbin Little League All-Stars saw their stay in the Area Two Little League Tournament come to an end Monday night with an 11-0 loss to North Laurel. It was the second loss to the Laurel County team in the tournament.

Corbin missed an opportunity to get the game off to a good start when they failed to score in the top of the first inning after loading the bases.

Things got bad for the Corbin All-Stars in the bottom of the inning. North Laurel pushed eight runs across the plate and never looked back.

North Laurel pitcher Dylan Messer allowed only one Corbin hit in the win.

Corbin 10, Clay Co. 8:  Corbin scored two runs in the top of the first then gave up eight runs in the bottom of the inning and fell behind, 8-2. But they battled back to take a 10-8 victory.

Trevor Hill drew a one-out walk in the top of the first and Austin O’Neil followed with a single. After a strike out to Kyler Allen, Zack Ingle hit a triple to the center field fence, driving in two runs.

John Mark Cushman drew a walk and made an attempt to steal second but was thrown out to end the inning.

O’Neil took the mound for Corbin but was greeted with with a Joe Garrison double before walking Michael Collins. Derrick Spurlock hit a three-run homer to put Clay County ahead 3-2.

O’Neil gave up back-to-back hits to Brandon Gross and Chad Lyttle, who eventually scored for a 5-2 lead.

Ingle came on to pitch for Corbin, but gave up three more runs before Corbin could get out of the inning. They trailed 8-2 at the end of one.

Corbin bounced back to score six runs in the top of the second, tying the game, 8-8. The big hit in the inning was a three-run double by Ingle with Hill, O’Neil and Allen on base.

The game settled into a defensive battle for the next two and a half innings.

With Spurlock running out of pitches, Lyttle came to the mound for Clay County. He walked Ingle before striking out Brady Farris. He walked Peyton Buford then struck out Zack Sanders. Jacob McCoy loaded the bases with an infield hit.

Jones followed with a two-run RBI to left field as Corbin took a 10-8 lead in the game.

Ingle held off a Clay County rally in the bottom of the fifth before retiring all three batters he faced in the home half of the sixth.

North Laurel 7, Corbin 2: Corbin trailed 3-0 when O’Neil hit a home run to close a North Laurel gap to one run. However, North Laurel scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth then added two in the fifth to take the win.

North Laurel 11, Corbin 0

Corbin             000  0-   0  1  6

North Laurel    801  2- 11  8  2

Hill and O’Neil. Messer and Maxey. W-Messer, L-Hill. 2B-Messer (NL), Lawson (NL), Rudder (NL). HR-Rudder.

Corbin 10, Clay County 8

Corbin             260  020- 10  9  1

Clay County    800  000-   8  9  1

  O’Neil, Ingle (1) and Allen, O’Neil. W-Ingle, L-Lyttle. 2B-Garrison (CC), Ingle (C), Collins (CC), Jones (C). 3B-Ingle (C). HR-Spurlock (CC).

North Laurel 7, Corbin 2

Corbin             000  200- 2  4    2

North Laurel    012  22x- 7  11  2

Jones and Buford. Lawson and Maxey. W-Lawson, L-Jones. 2B-McWhorter (NL), Rudder (NL), Lewis (NL). HR-Maxey (NL), O’Neil (C).