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GREENEVILLE—Morristown did it the hard way to capture the District Four 9-10 Little League Tournament championship and a berth in the state tournament, completing its run through the losers bracket with a 12-1 rout of host Greeneville Saturday morning for the title.

After dropping its tourney opener on Tuesday, Morristown won three straight elimination games and will now play the District Nine champion on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the state tournament at Maryville.

Morristown got two runs in the first inning and added three in the third before blowing the game open with a seven-run fifth which resulted in the five-inning mercy rule win.

Jaxson Draughn and Jace Hayes had two hits each to lead the victory with one of Draughn’s hits being a bases-loaded double in the fifth.

Greeneville got only two hits and didn’t score until the bottom of the fifth.

Morristown coach Cole Draughn said, “I’m just really proud of these boys and the way they responded after losing our first game up here. It was a great effort.

“We didn’t seem to have a whole lot of energy after our loss on Tuesday and we had a long talk before practice on Wednesday and got our attention back where it needed to be,” he said. “We talked about bringing energy and having fun.

“We wanted to have a leave no doubt mentality,” he explained. “We didn’t want to leave the game in the hands of the umpires or anything else. We wanted to make sure we hit the ball the way we were capable of hitting it, throw strikes and field the ball like we needed to.

“And that’s exactly what the kids did,” he stated. “We threw a lot of strikes, played great defense and hit the ball very well in the last three games we played.”

Draughn went on to say, “Tanner (Epps) come on in relief and threw strikes and that’s what we needed after we got the lead today. We didn’t have to make a lot of plays on defense but we made them when we needed to.

“That’s what a championship team does is make plays when they hit it. The play David Slagle made in the second inning was huge for us. That was a high baseball-IQ play. You don’t see many kids his age who make plays like that.”

With Morristown leading 2-0, Greeneville got the first two runners on base to start the second when Epps relieved. Brock Johnson singled to load the bases before Epps recorded a strike out.

Shortstop Slagle then gobbled up a grounder off the bat of losing hurler Gunner Crum. The runner on second didn’t break for third and Slagle waited until he stepped off the base toward third and tagged him before stepping on second to complete an unassisted double play.

Greeneville never recovered.

Morristown got off to another quick start when Draughn singled to left to open the game and Hayes followed with a bunt single with Draughn going all the way to third.

A double steal produced the first run and Hayes scored as Slagle reached on a fielder’s choice.

Starting pitcher Grayson Cody struggled to find the strike zone early. He walked three in the first but also struck out three to keep the home team off the scoreboard.

Epps came on after Cody walked the first two in the second and escaped when Slagle pulled off the double play.

Ketner Dearing singled to start the Morristown third and Draughn reached on an error. Hayes reached on a fielder’s choice that loaded the bases. After a strike out, Slagle delivered a two-run single and Carter Short knocked in another run on a ground out to up the count to 5-0,

Epps got Greeneville out in order in the third and fourth before Morristown exploded in the fifth.

Walks to Wyatt Watkins and Lucas Justice started the inning and Dearing was hit by a pitch to load the sacks. Draughn then delivered a double that cleared the bases.

Hayes had another bunt hit and Tyson Busler’s hit scored another marker. Short and Cody both walked and Epps singled in the final marker to make it 12-0.

Greeneville finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning when Hayden Butler singled and scored on a throwing error.

Epps got the win as he gave up two hits in four innings while walking one and striking out three.

Morristown totaled eight hits on the day off Crum and reliever Brantley Foshee.