EQUIP 13U REACHES GOLD BRACKET IN TENNESSEE STATE TOURNAMENT

KINGSPORT, TN – The Equip 13U baseball team competed in the Tennessee State Tournament over the weekend of June 4-5, reaching the Gold Bracket before incurring their first loss on the season.

Fifteen teams from across Tennessee, along with the Equip team from Boone and a team from Virginia competed for the title of Tennessee State Champions.

In pool play on Saturday, Equip defeated the Tennessee Braves of Telford, Tennessee by a score of 7 to 2 in seven innings of play. Devan Shook opened on the mound for the win, facing 13 batters, with one strikeout, three hits, and a run allowed. Chase Watts pitched in relief for three innings with one strikeout, two hits, and a run allowed. Bryce Scheffler earned the save, closing the seventh with no hits or runs allowed.

Offensively, Eli Lee posted a double and single, each with an RBI. Brayson Gough knocked in two runs on a single in the seventh, while Jon Wilson Mills posted two runs for the team.

Equip also defeated the Tennessee Prospects out of Jonesboro Tennessee by a score of 7 to 3. Chase Watts went two for three with a single and a two RBI double. Devan Shook also posted a two RBI single, and Avery Westphal singled for an RBI.

On the mound, Stacy Eggers pitched three innings, striking out three and yielding no hits and no runs. Riley Woods faced 10 batters, striking out one, with three hits and three runs allowed. Bryce Scheffler again came in to close the game, striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced.

The Equip performance was sufficient to advance them to single elimination in the Championship Gold Bracket, but they came up short against the #4 ranked team in Tennessee, the Johnson City Hilltoppers, by a score of 8 to 0. Colby Clark for the Hilltoppers was commanding in his pitching, striking out 5 batters, posting no walks, and giving up only one hit, a double by Brayson Gough. Levi Torbett also delivered strong pitching for the Hilltoppers, striking out 2 and allowing only two hits, a double by Eli Lee in the fourth and a double by Riley Woods in the fifth.

Stacy Eggers pitched three innings for Equip, striking out two but walking five, with 7 hits and five runs. Bryce Scheffler pitched in relief, yielding two walks, 6 hits and three runs. While the Hilltoppers were hot at the plate, the Equip defense kept baserunners on their toes. Catcher Eli Lee and third baseman Jack Bridgeman surprised Torbett by picking him off following a pitch in the bottom of the first. The Hilltoppers only steal attempt was unsuccessful, with Lee picking off the runner at second. After the game, head coach James Gough said "I’m really proud of the hard work and teamwork shown by these young men. In a tough game like this against an excellent opponent they continued to play hard and always encouraged each other."

The tournament was ultimately won by the Tennessee Defenders out of Bristol, who hold the number one ranking in the State of Tennessee.

Equip13U is now 14-1 in tournament play on the season.

Equip is a sports ministry program of Mount Vernon Church, which is directed by Eric Henderson. The Equip 13U team is coached by James Gough, Allie Woods, and Dr. Aaron Westphal.