By TIM TUTOR/Sports Editor

The red-hot Pontotoc Red Sox won their second consecutive Brooks Robinson Twin Lakes Classic American Legion baseball tournament last weekend at Mountain Home Arkansas.

The Sox defeated Eureka, Missouri 7-5 in the title game on Sunday.

Pontotoc defeated the Mountain Home Lockeroom 24-9 in the semifinals, while Eureka reached the championship game with a 12-4 win over Creve Couer, Missouri.

The Sox won six straight in this 14-team tourney to up their season record to 16-1.

When asked if the weather or his Red Sox were the hottest item over the weekend, Pontotoc head coach Nickey Browning said, “I don’t know, but we’ve been playing very well.



“We’ve got some kids that are really hitting the baseball, and except for a game or two, we played really good defense.

“Our pitchers threw strikes and gave us a chance to win.”

Pontotoc left-hander Dylan Earnest (Hamilton) was the pitcher of record in Sunday’s victory over Eureka — his second win of the weekend. He went the distance Sunday, giving up 10 hits and striking out eight.

The Eureka game

Earnest gave up two runs in the top of the first, but the Red Sox evened it up in their half of the inning.



Lee Wilson (Wheeler) tripled in a run and David Bowen (South Pontotoc) doubled in the other to make it a 2-2 game.

In the bottom of the second inning, Jon Michael Hannon (Pontotoc) reached on a single to center and gave Pontotoc its first lead of the game when a Jay King (Bruce) sacrifice moved him to second and a single by Jeremy Ferguson (North Pontotoc) plated him to make it a 3-2 affair.

Eureka regained the lead with two runs in the top of the third on three hits.

But the Red Sox, with two runs of their own, took the lead for good at 5-4 in the bottom of the inning.

Bowen reached on a fielder’s choice and took second on a throwing error. Will Wallis (Ripley) then plated Bowen with a single.

With a 2-out single to left, King later drove in Wallis to make it 5-4, Pontotoc after three.

The Red Sox added a run in the bottom of the fourth when Colten Robbins (North Pontotoc), pinch running for Zach Chavers (Pontotoc), scored from third on a passed ball.

Ferguson, Pontotoc’s lead-off batter, smacked his third homerun of the weekend in the bottom of the sixth to make it 7-4 after six.

Eureka added a solo homerun in the top of the seventh inning, but it was too little, too late as the Pontotoc Red Sox took the 7-5 victory and the tournament championship.

Wilson led the Sox at the plate Sunday going 2 for 2 and earned the tourney’s Most Outstanding Player honor, batting 18 of 28 in Pontotoc’s six-game streak at Mountain Home.

Tourney summary

The Red Sox reached the semifinals with wins over West Plains, Missouri (8-0 on Wednesday), Harrison, Arkansas (15-6 on Thursday), Batesville, Arkansas (7-1 on Friday) and Bryant, Arkansas (14-8 in the quarterfinals).

The winning pitchers were Dylan Earnest vs. West Plains, Myles Snyder (North Pontotoc) vs. Harrison, Jim Tom Copeland (Batesville) vs. Batesville, Ark., Blake O’Callaghan (Pontotoc) vs. Bryant and Colten Robbins (North Pontotoc) vs. Mountain Home.

Pontotoc players making the All-Tournament team were David Bowen, Jeremy Ferguson, Jay King and Lee Wilson.



The Best Defensive Player of the tourney award went to Zach Chavers.

Dylan Earnest picked up the Most Outstanding Pitcher award.



Lee Wilson picked up two post-tournament honors, the Most Valuable Player and the Base Stealing awards.



Jeremy Ferguson earned the Most Homeruns award.

The Sox as a team was awarded the Most Team Homeruns trophy, while Pontotoc skipper Nickey Browning was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Coach.