Big sixth inning powers White team to win in game two of Blue-White World Series

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Powered by a nine-run sixth inning, the White team won the second game of the Blue-White World Series 16-3 Tuesday night at Reese Smith Jr. Field.

Shortstop Ryan Ford and centerfielder Trevor Haggard each had three hits and two runs scored at the top of the White lineup. Ford also had three RBI. Freshman Heath Slatton drove in four runs on the night. Starting pitcher Hunter Adkins pitched five innings for the win, striking out three batters. He allowed just one hit and two runs.

"I really liked his presence and composure on the mound tonight," said head coach Jim McGuire about the senior pitcher Adkins. "He's a senior and he pitched like a number one guy tonight."

The White team got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning. Jake Ellison led off with a double to left field. With one out, Michael Adkins doubled down the leftfield line to score Ellison and give the White team a 1-0 lead. White added two more runs in the bottom of the third inning off of Blue starting pitcher Zac Curtis. Austin Bryant started the frame with a single. Ford then dropped a sacrifice bunt to move Bryant to second. Haggard followed with a single, which Bryant scored on thanks to a bobble in the infield. Johnny Thomas then drove in Haggard with a double to right center, making the score 3-0.

Adkins did his part to keep the Blue team off the scoreboard, retiring the first 13 batters he faced. In the fifth, the Blue team had its first base runner as Robert Lawrence drew a one-out walk.  Ryan Stephens then belted a home run over the right field fence, Blue's first hit of the night, to get Blue within one run at 3-2. That would be the only damage done against Adkins on the night. The senior hurler retired the next two batters on groundouts to end the inning.

White got those two runs back in the bottom of the fifth on a Slatton two-RBI single, making the score 5-1. White broke the game wide open in the sixth. The first eight batters reached base, with Ford driving in a run with a bases loaded walk. Haggard singled to center field to bring in another run. After Thomas drew a bases loaded walk, Ellison singled through the left side of the infield for a run. Slatton then doubled to right center to drive in two runs.

"He's very talented, even for a freshman," said McGuire about Slatton. "He does a lot of things well. When you watch him in batting practice, he may have the most raw power of anyone on this team. He's had two good days offensively and we'll see what he can do on the mound tomorrow."

Ford also doubled in his second plate appearance of the inning, driving in two more runs. All told, the White team scored nine runs in the inning to take a 14-2 lead. Both teams then showed off some power in the last three innings. Blue first baseman Dalton Henzman hit a towering home run for their third run of the game. Michael Adkins also hit a home run to right field as part of a two-run eighth inning that made the final score 16-3.

Blue had five different players record a hit in Tuesday night's game. Curtis went 4.2 innings on the mound to start for the Blue team allowing five runs, three of which were earned, and eight hits. He also struck out eight batters, which caught the eye of the coaching staff.

"He's a very good competitor and he'll do whatever it takes to win," McGuire said about Curtis. "I was proud of how he was able to battle back and keep the score close. He does a good job of getting batters off-balance."

The third and final game of the series is Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

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