Messer tosses five-hitter, Gerace hits two-run home run, Man defeats White Falcons 8-1

MAN   Braxton Messer tossed a five-hitter, Cam Gerace hit a two-run home run and second-seed and third ranked Man beat third-seeded Wahama 8-1 in the Class A Region 4 tournament Thursday night at William "Tootie" Carter Field.

The senior right-hander struck out eight without a walk and was 2-for-3 at the plate with two doubles and one RBI.

Brayden Compton was 3-for-3 with one RBI and Cody Walls doubled and drove in three runs for the Hillbillies, which moved one win away from advancing to the Class A Region 4 championship series.

Wahama right-hander Harrison Lloyd gave up seven runs on eight hits, one walk and one hit batter in 4 1/3 innings.

Man got off to a hot start in the first inning. After a Landon Cantrell single, Gerace sent an 0-1 pitch over the centerfield fence for a 2-0 lead. Messer followed with a double to right field, advanced to third on a Gavyn Cline groundout and scored on Walls' sacrifice fly to put Man ahead 3-0.

The Hillbillies added a fourth first inning run when Noah Maynor singled to score Compton.

Wahama scored its only run in the second when Messer fielded a grounder back to the mound, but his throw airmailed first basemen Brody Sword, allowing Seth Ohlinger to score from second base.

The White Falcons loaded the bases with one out, but Messer got Cyrus Rickard and Blake Henry to ground out to end the inning.

Man (15-8) got a two-run double from Walls and a run-scoring single from Compton in the fifth inning to take a 7-1 lead.

Messer doubled in the sixth to plate Caleb Brown for an 8-1 lead.

Aden Young had two of the White Falcons (14-15) five hits. Ohlinger had one hit and scored once and Henry and Jake Roberts each had one hit.