Ozone Rookies come up short at state
Published 9:51 pm Monday, July 9, 2018
The Troy Ozone Rookies had their run at a state championship and a berth in the World Series come to an end with an 11-1 loss to Enterprise on Monday afternoon in Ozark.
Troy begin the day knowing they had to beat Enterprise twice in order to win the championship. They began the day on a positive note with a 6-1 win.
“We had to play this morning (Monday) at 10 and had to beat them twice,” said head coach Wally Lowery. “We beat them in the first game 6-0. We beat them like a drum. We came out hitting like crazy and Cade Edwards pitched all six innings and pitched extremely well.”
After a 30-minute break between games one and two, Enterprise came out and turned the tables.
“We were just gassed,” Lowery said. “They never gave up.”
Along with battling the state’s top teams, Troy had to battle the heat along with illnesses. Multiple players became ill during the tournament and two players had to head to the hospital.
“We had to battle sickness,” Lowery said. “They never gave up. They kept on dealing in the sweltering heat. They wanted to win.”
In the first game on Monday, Lowery believed it was a full-team effort by his players.
“Everybody including the bottom of the lineup hit the ball,” Lowery said. “Blake Lowery hit a double to the fence. Cade Edwards almost knocked another one out. Connor Jones had some good at bats. Everyone contributed.”
Along with Lowery, the Troy was coached by Noah Lowery and Jay Edwards. The players included Hayden Adamson, Rhodes Baker, Cooper Campbell, Cotton Wilson, Benton Dunn, Cade Edwards, Connor Jones, KaNeil Lewis, Blake Lowery, Jordan McBryde and Keldon Singleton.