Gallery by Heather Belcher
Dominant pitching had been the vehicle to carry Central Greenbrier to the District 4 Little League All-Star championship game.
Tuesday night at Beckley Little League Park when the pitching sputtered somewhat, it was the bats that provided the necessary turbo boost.
Finding the barrels for 11 hits, nearly half of them going for extra bases, Central Greenbrier brought home the District 4 title with a 10-2 over Princeton.
After finishing runner-up last year, the mission was clear in 2024 in the Central Greenbrier camp.
“We set the goal from the very beginning to be champions this year. We didn’t just want to go to states, we wanted to win (the district title),” Central Greenbrier manager Cam Huffman said. “I am really glad to see them holding that banner and getting the job done.”
The first three wins of the tournament for Central Greenbrier came by a combined score of 29-0.
Princeton let it be known early that Tuesday was not going to be quite as easy in the championship tilt.
A double from Josiah Tunstalle pushed across the first run surrendered by Central Greenbrier in the tournament, staking Princeton to an early 1-0 lead.
Even though his team trailed for the first time in the tournament, starter Michael Boothe maintained his focus to escape further damage.
Facing a one-out, bases loaded situation, Boothe recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat.
“It was great to see them face some adversity today, being scored on for the first time. They were like what in the world just happened,” Huffman said, laughing. “They came back and scored those three runs in the first is what really set the tone. That allowed us to relax and just go out and play baseball.”
Peyton Ervin singled to open the at-bat and Carter Huffman walked to move Ervin into scoring position. An error on Boothe’s ground ball created a window for Ervin to come across and also allowed both runners behind him to move up to second and third.
Huffman then scored on Hendo Bostic’s ground out before Boothe came home on a wild pitch for a 3-1 advantage.
Struggling on the mound by the lofty standards set in his first two tournament appearances, Boothe refused to let it effect his performance at the plate.
His first big blow came in the home half of the third inning.
Following one-out singles from Ervin and Huffman, Boothe ripped a bullet line drive that hit the top of the center-field fence and rattled off the scoreboard for a three-run home run.
Before Princeton could get out of the inning, Central Greenbrier added one more for a 7-1 lead.
“That is what we talk about. If something goes wrong, make a play somewhere else,” Huffman said. “Not only did he come up big with his bat, but so did Dillon Jackson in the field. He struck-out at the end and came off with some tears in his eyes, then he goes out to right field and makes a big play. That is what it is all about. If something goes wrong, do something else to help the team.”
Princeton got one run back in the fourth, only to see Central Greenbrier add two more runs to the scoreboard.
James Godby opened the fourth with a double and scored following an error on John Thompson’s grounder. The lead then moved to 9-2 on a triple from Ervin for his third hit of the night.
“I think some of the other coaches looked at me like I was crazy when I put Peyton at the top of the lineup in that lead-off spot. He is a guy that can drive in runs, but he is disciplined at the plate, he is quick and he gets on base so many ways,” Huffman said. “I like having a little pop at the top (of the line-up) too. Being an (Atlanta) Braves fan, it is like having Ronald Acuna Jr. up there at the top. He is doing a great job and has made a big difference for us.”
Ervin also displayed some prowess on the mound.
With Boothe unavailable for the final two innings due to pitch count restrictions, Ervin pitched two scoreless frames, allowing no hits.
Boothe completed the daily double in the fifth inning when he hit the top of the fence again, this time bouncing over the scoreboard for a solo round-tripper.
“This team can hit the baseball and we can play small ball when we need to,” Huffman said. “They are quick on the bases when we need it. They are a great hitting team.”
Even though Princeton came up a little short, the Mercer County youngsters still have baseball to play with both teams advancing to the W.Va. State Little League World Series in Madison in mid-July.
“Obviously our goal was to win it, but that is a great baseball team and they are coached well. We are looking at states now,” Princeton head coach Jerod Vipperman said. “We know we have the kids to do it and we have the depth. We are on to the next one.”
Vipperman also found some positives in the setback Tuesday.
“Our kids learned something about themselves tonight. (Michael) is great pitcher and the hardest pitcher we have seen,” Vipperman said. “We were able to score two runs and had the bases loaded one time. We just couldn’t get a ball in play, but I was pleased with their effort.”
