Panhandle Babe Ruth opener a success

The local youth baseball season opened with a bang Sunday, featuring two closely contested Babe Ruth games at War Memorial Field. The bleachers were packed and the crowd spilled over onto the sidelines. The sound of chatter, base hits and the latest feature, announcers, could be heard over the din.

Les Schwab beat CJ Drafting in the opening game, which was closer than the 9-6 score indicated. It was a one run game until the 6th. Both Marcus Davis and Peter Douglas pitched solid games for the first five innings.

The “A” legue teams from Anderson Autobody and Centerfield Sports squared off in the second game. The starters, Eddie Ogle for Anderson and Tyler Gordon for Centerfield , scattered a combined 12 hits while going the seven inning distance. The lead changed four times and Anderson prevailed in the 8th when Eddie Ogle drove in Michael Lorden for what would be the winning run. Lorden closed out the bottom of the inning 1-2-3 for the win.

Babe Ruth action continues with a game Thursday night at 7 p.m., and a rematch between Anderson and Centerfield at 1 p.m. Saturday.