Muscle Shoals bows out

MUSCLE SHOALS - Derrick Bracey did exactly what North Carolina coach Kevin Wayne needed him to do Sunday afternoon - eat innings and put up some zeroes on the scoreboard.

Bracey pitched 5 2/3 strong innings in relief of Justin White and North Carolina's offense came alive late to beat host Muscle Shoals 7-2 in an elimination game at the Junior Dixie Boys World Series.

Bracey allowed one run on two hits while striking out nine. He didn't walk anybody and hit two batters.

"He did a good job," Wayne said. "He was mostly just throwing his fastball and they couldn't lay off the high stuff."

Alex Batten knocked in three runs with a double and a groundout to lead a 10-hit North Carolina attack. Manuel Figueroa, White and Forrest Wayne had two hits each. White, who was the starting pitcher also drove in two runs.

Muscle Shoals managed only five hits, including Blake Beavers' triple and Houston Looser's double to lead off the game. Beavers took the loss.

"We played hard," Muscle Shoals coach Barry Dreaden said. "It's hard when you don't go through tournament play to come in here and play against these caliber players. We had to play our best to compete, and we didn't."

After losing a one-run game Saturday night, Muscle Shoals grabbed an early 2-0 lead against North Carolina. The host team stranded a runner in the first inning, but scored twice on three hits in the second.

Jake Hunter, who had two hits, led off with a single and scored on Colby Honey's base hit. Beavers knocked in the second run with a triple to center field, but that was the last time Muscle Shoals would score.

North Carolina tied it in the third when Batten just missed a home run, instead settling for a two-run double off the center-field fence.

"That was a huge hit," Wayne said. "We hadn't been hitting very well and that kind of got us started."

Jacob Long's two-out looping single to right scored Forrest Wayne in the fourth inning to give North Carolina a 3-2 lead.

North Carolina added three runs on four hits in the fifth. Derrick Bracey scored on a wild pitch and White and Wayne added run-scoring base hits for a 6-2 lead.

North Carolina added a run in the sixth on a fielder's choice grounder by Batten, who finished with three RBIs.

Meanwhile, Bracey was rolling through the Carolina lineup.

"We needed that," Wayne said. "Now we've got everybody left for tomorrow except for him."

Gregg Dewalt can be reached at 740-5748 or gregg.dewalt@timesdaily.com.