Chobee Boys Battle Back!!

Our Chobee boys played ball in true Chobee fashion today in Grand Ridge. They faced off against Marianna at 3:30. Okeechobee being visitors went to the plate first. The first inning was a bit slow but did produce a hit by Mark Weir and a walk to Noah Wilcox. No runners scored. Marianna also failed to score with Noah Wilcox on the mount. They had a single and a double. One runner was thrown out at third and Noah struck out their second and fifth batters.

The second inning was much more beneficial for Chobee. Brad Coleman received a walk and Timmy Farrell took a pitch to arm. Dean Radebaugh attemped a sacrifice bunt that worked in our favor and allowed him to arrive safe at first. Tyler Finney smacked a long ball down the third base line which brought in an RBI. Justin Morgan hit a ball into shallow right field for a single, bringing in another run but was thrown out when Mark Weir hit a ball to short. This was a very short inning for Marianna with only three players making a plate appearance: one play from second to first, a strike out for Noah and a line drive up the middle smacked right into the glove of Noah Wilcox. The score at the end of inning two was Okeechobee two to Marianna's zero.

Okeechobee had a short inning in the forth. Noah Wilcox had a fly ball to short. Will Jackson hit a short ball to the pitcher and was thrown out at first. Thor Harden hit a hard fly ball to right field that was barely caught for out three. Only three batters from Marianna faced Noah Wilcox once again. A short hit to Noah Wilcox produced a quick out at first. A bunt up the first baseline drove Farrell off the base to make the play but Noah quickly and smoothly covered first and the runner was out with a quick toss of the ball. One Marianna batter landed on first with a walk but was later thrown out when his teammate hit a grounder to short. No runs were scored for either team.

Inning four opened with a solid hit to left center from Brad Coleman for a single. Timmy Farrell placed a sacrifice bunt to advance Coleman. Dean Radebaugh bunted a ball that turned into a single. Tyler Finney hit a hard ball to second base and was thrown out at first, but allowed Brad Coleman to cross the plate. Justin Morgan was hit by the ball and advanced to second with a short hit just over the shortstop for a single with an RBI for Mark Weir. The inning ended with a long shot to right field by Noah Wilcox. Marianna had four batters step up to the plate. Caleb Golden hit a fly ball to Bradley Coleman at second. The next batter got pegged but was later picked off at first. A walk placed their next batter on first but he was thrown out when their fourth batter hit a ball to Mark Weir at second base. The score at the end of the fourth inning was Okeechobee four - Marianna zero.

Five batters marched to the plate for Okeechobee in inning five. Will Jackson was thrown out at first after a hit to short. Thor Harden hit a fly ball to center field that was caught by Marianna. Brad Coleman and Timmy Farrell both shot singles through the shortstop. The inning ended with two men left on when Dean Radebaugh was thrown out after a grounder to second base. Marianna came alive in inning number five! Four hits, a struck batter and a walk allowed Marianna to score two runs. The inning ended when Chris Godwin from Marianna popped a ball high above Justin Morgan's head. Scrambling underneath and then settling in, Justin made a picture perfect catch. The score at the end of the fifth inning was Okeechobee four - Marianna 2.

Inning number six was a bit controversial. Justin Morgan slammed a long, long shot over the left fielder's head. Running like a jaguar, he landed at third with the third baseman dropping the ball. However, he apparently did not tag second base on his way around the bases and a throw to second base undid that wonderful hit. Mark Weir placed a double into left center but did not get the opportunity to cross the plate before the inning ended. This inning was relatively short for Marianna. A play from short to first produced out number one. A fly ball to shortstop - out number two. One batter did shoot a ball up the middle for a double and stole third but was left on base with a full count strike out by Tyler Finney.

In the last inning Okeechobee scored two more runs. Will Jackson and Thor Harden both slammed one up the middle produced singles and were advanced to second and third with a wild pitch. Brad Coleman hit a grounder to short and was thrown out at first but brought Jackson across the plate. Timmy Farrell attempted a bunt to allow Jacalob Akins (running for Harden) to cross the plate but the plan was foiled when Farrell fouled off the ball. With that strategy known, Farrell now had to stay in the box and hit. He slammed a sacrifice fly out to left field and brought in Jacalob. Okeechobee's defense made the last inning very short for Marianna. A fly ball to short, a fly ball to the pitcher (Mark Weir) and a fly ball to second ended the game. The final score was Okeechobee six - Marianna two.

We have just heard that Sebring beat Springhill six to seven, so that places us playing Springhill at 3:30 tomorrow. Keep checking for updates.