PTS Mets coast past CCM Royals in boys tee-ball World Series

By Marvin Birchfield
STAR STAFF
mbirchfield@starhq.com

  The Boys/Girls Club boys tee-ball World Series championship finished in one day on Thursday, with the Physical Therapy Service Mets needing only two games to beat the Carter County Motors Royals in the best-of-3 series. The Mets prevailed by 21-6 and 30-8 scores.
  The Mets went undefeated on the season by hitting the ball hard and doing an excellent job in the field, and they continued executing their winning ways in the title matchup.
  "All the boys hit the ball great and ran well, and you couldn't ask for a better season than this. We were 20-0 -- unbeaten," said Mets coach Felix Hutchinson. "Offense and defense, this team has been great from the first practice."
  In the first contest, the Mets outscored the Royals 9-4 in the first inning.
  Malone Hill was the first runner to come home, followed by Daegan Kerr and Neelynn Lambert.
  A home run from Corey Matherly in the top of the inning scored Nathaniel Henager for the Royals, and Justin and Jordan Seaboch also crossed the plate.
  The Royals added two runs in the top of the second off of hits from Matherly and Christofer Schaff, bringing in Heneger and Kim Swearinger.
  "We've had a real good season, but their team is real tough -- they haven't been beat all season long," said Royals coach Roger Matherly. "We knew it would be a challenge, but we can't complain. We had one loss early, and went the rest of the way until now, and no other team can say that."
  The first 11 batters for the Mets came in to score in the bottom of the frame, as a triple from Logan Shipley brought home Cheyene Camilla to extend the Mets' lead to 20-6.
  The Mets' defense held the Royals scoreless in the top of the third, and needing just one run to end the contest, Stone Hutchinson smacked a hit to drive in Daegan Kerr.
  The performance in the first game was stellar by the Mets, as was the second outing, where they connected to drive home a total of 30 runs in four innings.
  "I've been rough on them, but these boys have handled it well," said Coach Hutchinson. "These kids know that I love them and I'm out here for them. All the parents are great and the ball players are excellent from the catcher to the center fielder. All the way around, I'm proud of them."
  Hutchinson was unbelievable for the Mets, as he crushed three homers all going to left-field in his first three attempts at bat.
  A base hit from Zack Burem brought in Shipley to give the Mets a seven-run advantage in the top of the first.
  Hits from Jordan Seaboch and Garrett Carpenter scored Schaff and Brittiny Campbell for the Royals, as they trailed 7-2 after the first frame.
  "I tried to mix them up a little in the first game and ended up moving them back to where they played in the regular season, but that game was a hard one to take," said Matherly. "We've got a lot of these kids coming back next year, and they are all good kids."
  The Mets added nine runs in the top of the second with a hit over the middle by Bailey Hughes, who brought home Dakota Grindstaff.
  The contact with the bats was persistent for the Mets, as singles from Caeden Kerr and Camilla scored Hughes and Zack Guinn.
  A hit to center field from Scalf in the bottom of the second scored Swearenger and Nash Eryasa, while Dylan Tolley drove in Matherly on a ground-out.
  Four more runs crossed for the Mets in the third frame, with a double down the left-field line from Grindstaff bringing in Dylan Ford to give them a 20-5 lead at that point.
  The Royals combined for three runs in the bottom of the third, with the last run crossing off a single from Dustin Ollis, driving in Justin Keys.
  It was a field day for the Mets at the plate in the top of the fourth, as they batted through the lineup to accumulate 10 more runs.
  Hits from Hill and Daegan Kerr brought home Matthew Singleton and Dru Owens, while Hutchinson came up just shy on converted his fourth homer of the contest on a triple to the left-field fence.
  With the Royals needing several runs to keep the game alive in the bottom of the third, the Met infielder's put a stop to any comeback with routine plays from the field, holding them scoreless.
  "Stone hit the ball great with three home runs, Logan was excellent at third-base, Cheyene at shortstop, and Dakota catching the ball, so it was great," said Coach Hutchinson.