Now wearing the camouflage jersey of the East Cobb Braves’ 18-and-under team, Etowah's Cody Mazzatenta threw a two-hit shutout to lead his summer team to a win on the opening day of the World Wood Bat Association’s 18U National Championship.
Tribune photo by Jon-Michael Sullivan
Tribune photo by Jon-Michael Sullivan
Mazzatenta threw a three-hit shutout and had five strikeouts, while High was 2-for-2 with a triple and a double and an RBI. The Braves scored a run each in the third, fifth and sixth innings to claim the win.
“We’ve been pitching well, and it continued (Friday) with us pitching well and getting some runs when needed,” Braves coach Jamie Crane said. “We played better offensively then we’ve been playing, and it was led by Nick.”
“Nick is hitting in the bottom of the lineup, but he’s striking the ball well. We pitched well all season, and Cody did what he’s been doing all season. He pitched a good game. He pitched a complete game and that saves us on arms.”
Mason Colquitt walked to lead off the bottom of the third inning for the Braves, but was quickly picked off at first base.
However, Robert Green followed with another walk, and Hall doubled to put runners on second and third. Kell’s Jamari Moore then hit a sacrifice fly to score Green and give the Braves a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, Green singled with two outs and then scored on High’s triple to increase the East Cobb advantage to 2-0.
The Braves added their final run in the top of the sixth, when Dylan Dore reached first on an error, stole second and third and scored on a groundout by Justin Friend.
Mazzatenta took care of the rest on the mound.
The recent Etowah graduate gave up only two singles in the top of the first inning, then retired the side in the second. He gave up a walk before ending the inning on a double play in the third, retired the side again in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and gave up only one more hit in the seventh.
“Cody was under 80 pitches, so he was very efficient,” said Crane, who coached on the high school level at Walker in 2005-06. “He controlled (the Crushers’) running game (on the bases) well.”
Recent Harrison graduate Matt Gonzalez was 1-for-3 with a single for the Braves. Gonzalez, an 11th-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics earlier this month, has signed to play at Georgia Tech next year.
East Cobb will return to Pool H action against the Griffin-based Middle Georgia Titans’ 2012 team today at 2 p.m. at East Cobb Baseball Complex.
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