B

GREENEVILLE—After scoring a lone run in its opening tournament loss, Morristown exploded on Wednesday in pounding Smoky Mountain, 19-1, in an elimination game in the District Four 9-10 Little League Tournament.

The winners pounded 10 hits and also collected 11 walks and had four batters hit by a pitch in just two innings. The game was shortened to three innings by the mercy rule.

Ketner Dearing banged out a triple and single while Tyson Busler had a pair of singles to lead the Morristown attack.

David Slagle and Grayson Cody added doubles for the winners while Jaxson Draughn, Carter Short, Jaxson Quilliams and Wyatt Watkins all had one single each.

Winning hurler Tanner Epps and Quilliams combined for a one-hitter in the victory. Epps worked the first two frames and gave up both the run and hit. He walked one and struck out four.

Quilliams pitched the final inning and struck out the only three batters he faced.

Coach Cole Draughn said, “I thought we had a lot better effort tonight. We came out swinging the bats a whole lot better and hit the ball up and down the lineup.

“We hit it hard and ran the bases aggressively,” he added. “We came out with a leave no doubt mentality tonight.”

Draughn closed, “I thought Tanner threw well at the start and Quilliams threw a really good inning.

“We have to come back up here tomorrow and keep it going.”

Morristown was back in action on Friday night against unbeaten Greeneville and a win would face a deciding game for the championship and a berth in the state tournament.

Smoky Mountain grabbed the early lead when Will Brannon walked to lead off the top of the first. He stole second and went to third when Carter Moore reached on an error. Brannon scored on a double steal.

However, Morristown took control in the bottom of the first by scoring six times on four walks, doubles by Slagle and Cody and an error.

Smoky Mountain got its only hit with two out in the second on an infield safety by Weston Witt. But he was thrown out attempting to steal.

In the bottom of the second, Morristown paraded 19 batters to the plate and scored 16 runs while leaving the bases loaded.

There were six walks and two hit batters in the inning to go along with eight hits with Dearing starting the uprising with a triple and adding a single later in the frame. Busler also had both his hits in the inning.

Quilliams came to the mound in the top of the third and needed just 11 pitches to strike out the side.