Brett Thomas had two hits Monday. (Courtesy of UNC Media Relations)
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
CARY, N.C. – Two runs scored on a Brett Thomas walk-off base hit to lift Blue past White, 4-3, Monday in North Carolina’s annual Fall World Series at Cary’s USA Baseball National Training Complex. The victory gives the Blue squad a 1-0 lead in the second best-of-three series after White took the first series, 2-1.
Thomas’ game-winner came off high school teammate Logan Munson, who was brought on to face the lefty Thomas, with two on and on out in the seventh and final inning. Ben Bunting led off the inning with a single and was bunted to second by Matt Harrison.
With first base open, Garrett Gore was walked by Jimmy Messer to set up the left-on-left match-up, but Thomas drove the ball into right field to score Bunting, and an error on the play allowed Gore to score the game-winner from first.
Bunting and Thomas each had two hits for the Blue squad, which held White to just three hits on the afternoon.
Right-hander Matt Harvey went six strong innings, allowing just three unearned runs on just three hits and two walks. He struck out four. Brian Moran and Nate Striz combined for a scoreless seventh.
For White, righty Alex White fanned nine over five innings against just one walk. He allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits.
The White squad jumped out to an early in lead in the top of the first courtesy of back-to-back run-scoring base hits from Kyle Seager and Greg Holt. Mike Cavasinni singled to lead off the game, took second on a wild pickoff attempt and moved to third on Ryan Graepel’s sacrifice bunt.
Seager then broke the ice with an RBI single to score Cavasinni, and Holt continued to swing a hot bat with a double to plate Seager all the way from first.
Blue bounced back to trim the lead in half with a run in the bottom of the inning when Gore doubled home Matt Harrison, who reached on a single. However, White came right back to score in the second to push the advantage back to two runs, as Ryan Norton drew a leadoff walk and scored on an error for a 3-1 lead.
In the bottom of the third, Gore reached on an error, stole second and moved to third on a wild throw. He then scored on a wild pitch to cut the lead to a single run.
All-America Dustin Ackley, who had offseason elbow surgery, saw his first action of the Fall World Series with a pair of “exhibition at-bats.”
The second best-of-three series continues at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in Cary.
