Ackerman bounces back to beat Columbus American 14-3

July 6, 2012

Ackerman bounced back from a tough 8-6 loss on the opening day of the Dizzy Dean 10-year-old State Tournament to defeat Columbus American 14-3 Friday afternoon at McKee Park.

Donavan Turner ended the game for Ackerman with a two-run home run as the 10-run rule came into effect.

Ackerman had 12 hits in the game with seven of them going for extra bases.

"We've got a bunch of guys who can really hit the baseball," Ackerman coach Glenn Beard said. "They say hitting is contagious and when we get that bug, we can be hard to handle, but we've got to catch it."

Donavan Turner and Devean Turner combined for five hits, including a home run, three doubles and a single.

"We feel real good about them," Beard said of the Turners. "We put nine on the field and seven of them can go yard at any minute. We feel good about that, but we've got to get in the groove, see a lot of pitches and do a good job of taking the pitcher to some full counts."

Ackerman built a 11-2 lead in the third inning with a big eight-run outburst in the third.

Beard likes what his team can do offensively even if it does struggle in the field at times.

"The only way to overcome errors and things like that is to hit the baseball," Beard said. "We feel like if we can hit the baseball the way we know we can, we can play with anybody."

Ackerman continues play in the loser's bracket at 10 a.m. today.

A powerful thunderstorm dumped huge amounts of rain onto the McKee Park surface Friday evening, postponing Mathiston's game against Eupora, the only other matchup involving area teams.