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| Reid “Hammer” Alberts, one of Southwest Forsyth’s starting pitchers, ripped a walkoff home run. |
Alberts’ solo shot lifted Southwest Forsyth to an unforgettable 8-7 triumph over Kernersville in the District Two Little League championship in the boys 11-year old division.
The blast also completed an unlikely two-game sweep for Southwest Forsyth in the double-elimination tournament finals.
Matched against undefeated Kernersville in the final round, Southwest needed back-to-back wins after a recent loss in final four play. They captured their first by way of a forfeit in game one as Kernersville failed to play all of its players the required amount of time (Little League rules stipulate that each player must play in the field for three outs and bat at least once).
The forfeit win set the stage for a winner-take-all game two. Energized by the second chance, Southwest dominated play through five innings and owned a 7-2 advantage going into the top of the sixth.
Refusing to go quietly, Kernersville pounded out five runs to tie the score at 7-7. They were also inches away from scoring the go-ahead run when SWF outfielder Austin Raines, pitcher Taylor Idol and catcher Cameron Ray teamed together to throw out a runner at the plate for the most pivotal defensive play of the game. Raines fielded a single to center and threw a strike to Idol. Idol, who came on in relief with one out in the sixth, then wheeled and fired to Ray, who made the tag at the plate to prevent Kernersville from taking the lead.
Southwest then got the offensive boost it was looking for when Alberts turned on a two-strike pitch and drilled it deep for the decisive run. The home run touched off a mob scene at home plate and gave Southwest its first-ever district title in the 11-year old division.
“Before he went up to the plate, I told him ‘Hammer, if you get a good pitch, take a shot,” mentioned SWF manager Jason Culler following the victory. “He has a lot of power and I knew that if he connected, he could end the game with one swing.”
Also aware of Alberts’ ability to hit the ball out of the park, Kernersville initially opted to intentionally walk him. But with their catcher unsure of the proper way to handle that maneuver, the coach switched the strategy and instructed his pitcher to go for the out. The change nearly worked as Alberts swung through two pitches and was quickly down two strikes in the count.
“I yelled at him to keep his head in and on the next pitch that’s exactly what he did,” Culler noted. “When he hit it, I wasn’t sure it was going out. And their center and right fielders made great attempts to catch it at the fence.
“But when they bounced off the fence, fell to the ground and just laid there, I knew it was gone. It was a very dramatic ending.”
Southwest will now begin state tournament play in Cliffside, N.C. on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m.