By Derek Thompson

The Selma Times-Journal

Four Cottondale pitchers weren’t enough to stop a red-hot Selma team Friday night at the Dallas County Baseball Complex.

In the opening round of the district tournament, Selma’s 13-and-14-year-old boys wore out their opponents’ bullpen for an 11-0 victory.

“Selma was on,” said Cottondale head coach Darrell Waid. “Selma was pitching; they were hitting. Selma came to play ball. They did their job.”

Cottondale’s Jacob Wilson was Selma’s first victim. The young right-hander allowed two runs by the end of the second inning.

Selma’s Drone Allen and Rondarius Pettway each came home on wild pitches thrown by Wilson to give the home team an early lead.

After 43 pitches from Wilson, Cottondale put Chris Waid on the mound. He couldn’t slow down Selma at the plate either.

Waid gave up six more runs to the home team.

An RBI-triple from Selma’s Jakobi Lee, a sac fly from Kenyon Walker and three more runs put the victors up 8-0 before Cottondale made its second pitching change in the bottom of the fourth.

“We practiced and everything was fine,” Waid said. “When we came over here to play baseball, they cut the lights off and went to sleep. Over there they are having fun cutting up at practice, but when it comes to playing serious baseball, they can’t do it. That’s not the Cottondale team we know.”

Cottondale’s Mark Letars allowed another Selma run before he was injured on a play at home where he was cleated in the knee by a Selma runner trying to score.

Selma’s next victim was Avery Poffo.

Poffo wasn’t on the mound long before Kenyon Walker plated Tevon Craig and Selma scored on another wild pitch from Cottondale.

The game was called in the top of the fifth inning due to the 10-run mercy rule.

“Practice pays off. I try to tell them every practice that if they work hard they will make the game look easy,” said Selma head coach Patrick Pettway. “I would like to see the same thing tomorrow by showing a lot of hustle. These kids, they play for real over here.”

Selma will play the winner of the Thomasville-Prattville game Saturday at the Dallas County baseball complex at 4:30 p.m.