White team takes game one of Blue-White World Series

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Powered by three RBI apiece by Johnny Thomas, Jake Ellison, and Connor Tracy, the White team won game one of the Blue-White World Series 15-1 Monday afternoon at Reese Smith Jr. Field.

The White team got off to a good start in the top of the first inning. Ryan Ford led off with a double down the right field line. After Trevor Haggard was hit by a pitch from Blue's Johnathan Frebis, Thomas knocked a base hit through the left side of the infield to score Ford, putting White in front 1-0. Frebis then settled in, retiring the next three batters to get out of the inning.

White got the offense going in the top of the third inning, combining to hit for the cycle in the frame. Ford started off the inning with a single, then reached second as Haggard got to first via catcher's interference. Thomas then hit a double to drive in both runners, making the score 3-0. Ellison followed with a two-run home run over the left field fence to put White ahead 5-0. Heath Slatton hit a single to right field and scored on a Michael Adkins triple. All told, White scored six runs in the third inning on five hits and took a 7-0 lead.

"The White team stepped up and got big hits," said head coach Jim McGuire following Monday's game. "Thomas got the double in the gap and Ellison hit the home run. Everything opened up from there. Hitting is contagious. It always is. The offense took off from there."

Keaton Baker started on the mound for White and was dominant in five innings. He retired eight of the first nine batters faced. The Blue team got its first hit off Baker with two outs in the bottom of the third as Jordan Rorex hit a single through the right side of the infield. Baker allowed just two hits in five innings, recording four strikeouts.

"Baker threw very, very well which he has been doing all fall," said McGuire. "It was important for him to hold the lead and do what he did, but it just got out of hand for the Blue team too quickly and they were not able to get back."

The White team grew its lead to eight in the top of the fourth as Slatton brought in Thomas to score on a base hit to left center. White continued to tack on runs in the top of the sixth, scoring seven while sending 11 batters to the plate. Ellison knocked in his third run of the game with an RBI double to left field. Tracy had a two-RBI double in the inning and Haggard brought in two runs with a single. White had six hits in the inning and took a 15-0 lead into the seventh.

Blue got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth. Blake Allen led off with a walk. After a Clint Ambrosch strikeout, Dalton Henzman drew a walk. Both runners advanced on a passed ball. With runners at second and third, Rorex brought in Allen with a groundout to shortstop.

Thomas finished the game 4-for-5 with three runs scored. Slatton also had four hits and pitched a perfect ninth inning in relief. Ford, Ellison, Slatton, and Adkins each scored two runs as White won game one of the three-game series.

Game two is set for Tuesday night at 6 p.m.

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