STAR Financial defeats IMG to advance to 12u championship

Playing in their first 12u tournament contest on Wednesday evening, STAR Financial quickly and efficiently showcased their elite status as one of the top teams in the Marion Babe Ruth League this summer. 

Behind 12 hits, and a plethora of production from their top five batters, STAR punched their ticket to the 12u championship game, defeating IMG by a score of 13-9. 

Over the course of the six-inning affair, Kaliq Simmons, DeShawn Inman, Tae’Shawn Inman, Kevaunte Simmons, and Izaiah Freshwater terrorized IMG pitching, combining for six hits, 10 runs scored, and seven runs batted in. 

“They play hard,” STAR assistant coach Tyrone Simmons said after the game. “We have a lot of kids who can hit. A lot of them play travel ball, so that helps out.” 

While he gave up seven runs in the final two innings when the game was already in hand, Tae’Shawn Inman kept the IMG lineup at bay in the first four frames, holding them to just two runs on five hits. 

“He’s very consistent,” Simmons said of Inman. “He’s one of our main pitchers. We decided to let him have the ball today and do his thing.”

IMG started the scoring in the first inning with an RBI double from Drew Johnson, but STAR quickly found their rhythm and grabbed the lead for good in the bottom half of the frame. 

STAR’s first six batters reached base safely, with all six eventually coming around to score. Kevaunte Simmons brought home the first two runs with a single, Freshwater followed with an RBI single of his own, and Jamari Collins scored on a passed ball before the inning was called due to the six-run rule. 

As the game progressed, STAR kept their offense humming. In the third inning, Freshwater collected his second hit, this time a two-run single, to increase STAR’s advantage to 8-1. IMG got one run back in the fourth on an RBI triple from Kiontaye Woods, but STAR tacked on two more runs in their half of the frame, scoring on a passed ball and an RBI double from Anthony McClung, giving them an eight-run cushion heading into the final two innings. 

IMG did not go down without a fight, collecting three hits and seven runs between the fifth and sixth innings. in the fifth, Kaiden Kinder and Baylon Couchman hit an RBI double and triple, respectively,, while Johnson followed with an inside-the-park home run in the sixth to close the gap. 

However, three more runs from IMG in the bottom of the fifth helped to seal the deal. Freshwater hit his second two-run single in the frame, while Trey Adaway added a little insurance with an RBI double.

In all, Freshwater finished the game 3-for-3 from the dish with three hits, two runs scored, and five RBI. Kevaunte Simmons went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a pair of runs batted in, while DeShawn Inman added three hits.

For IMG, Johnson recorded a tremendous outing in their final game of the summer, finishing 2-for-2 with four RBI.

Playing in their first 12u tournament contest on Wednesday evening, STAR Financial quickly and efficiently showcased their elite status as one of the top teams in the Marion Babe Ruth League this summer. 

Behind 12 hits, and a plethora of production from their top five batters, STAR punched their ticket to the 12u championship game, defeating IMG by a score of 13-9. 

Over the course of the six-inning affair, Kaliq Simmons, DeShawn Inman, Tae’Shawn Inman, Kevaunte Simmons, and Izaiah Freshwater terrorized IMG pitching, combining for six hits, 10 runs scored, and seven runs batted in. 

“They play hard,” STAR assistant coach Tyrone Simmons said after the game. “We have a lot of kids who can hit. A lot of them play travel ball, so that helps out.” 

While he gave up seven runs in the final two innings when the game was already in hand, Tae’Shawn Inman kept the IMG lineup at bay in the first four frames, holding them to just two runs on five hits. 

“He’s very consistent,” Simmons said of Inman. “He’s one of our main pitchers. We decided to let him have the ball today and do his thing.”

IMG started the scoring in the first inning with an RBI double from Drew Johnson, but STAR quickly found their rhythm and grabbed the lead for good in the bottom half of the frame. 

STAR’s first six batters reached base safely, with all six eventually coming around to score. Kevaunte Simmons brought home the first two runs with a single, Freshwater followed with an RBI single of his own, and Jamari Collins scored on a passed ball before the inning was called due to the six-run rule. 

As the game progressed, STAR kept their offense humming. In the third inning, Freshwater collected his second hit, this time a two-run single, to increase STAR’s advantage to 8-1. IMG got one run back in the fourth on an RBI triple from Kiontaye Woods, but STAR tacked on two more runs in their half of the frame, scoring on a passed ball and an RBI double from Anthony McClung, giving them an eight-run cushion heading into the final two innings. 

IMG did not go down without a fight, collecting three hits and seven runs between the fifth and sixth innings. in the fifth, Kaiden Kinder and Baylon Couchman hit an RBI double and triple, respectively,, while Johnson followed with an inside-the-park home run in the sixth to close the gap. 

However, three more runs from IMG in the bottom of the fifth helped to seal the deal. Freshwater hit his second two-run single in the frame, while Trey Adaway added a little insurance with an RBI double.

In all, Freshwater finished the game 3-for-3 from the dish with three hits, two runs scored, and five RBI. Kevaunte Simmons went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a pair of runs batted in, while DeShawn Inman added three hits.

For IMG, Johnson recorded a tremendous outing in their final game of the summer, finishing 2-for-2 with four RBI.

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