AUXVASSE, Mo. - The North Callaway Thunderbirds roughed up the Louisiana Bulldogs 12-1 in a first-round game in the Montgomery County Tournament on Wednesday afternoon.
North Callaway faced Mark Twain in tournament play Wednesday night. Results were not available at press time.
The Thunderbirds (2-6) tallied two runs in the first inning, piled on five in the second, added three in the third and tacked on two in the fifth to end the game on the 10-run rule. Louisiana scored its lone run in the fourth.
Junior third baseman J.T. Higgins powered North Callaway's nine-hit attack, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, four runs batted in and a run scored. Junior catcher Wyatt Branson went 2-for-3 with an RBI, three runs scored and four stolen bases, while sophomore starter Sam Althiser was also 2-for-3 with a sacrifice and an RBI.
Althiser went the distance to tally his first win of the season, squaring his record at 1-1. He allowed an unearned run on just three hits, struck out nine and walked five.
On Tuesday night in Auxvasse, the Thunderbirds committed 10 errors and four pitchers issued eight walks in a 15-9 Eastern Missouri Conference loss to Bowling Green. The Bobcats (6-0, 3-0 EMO) broke the game open with a seven-run outburst in the top of the seventh, while North Callaway made the final outcome somewhat respectable by putting up seven runs in the bottom of the inning.
Branson finished 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI as the Thunderbirds (1-2 EMO) ended up with nine hits. Althiser was 2-for-4 with two RBI, scored once and had a stolen base, while junior starter AJ Stubblefield also went 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored two times.
Stubblefield (0-3) was tagged with the loss, surrendering six runs - all unearned - on only two hits in three innings. He struck out four and walked four.
North Callaway (2-1-3) played to a 2-2, three-inning tie in the junior varsity game.