Scotts Hill baseball bounced back after tourney loss

DECATURVILLE - As the Scotts Hill baseball team was trying to cruise through the District 15-A tournament, the Lions hit a snag.

Adamsville knocked Scotts Hill into the losers' bracket with a 2-1 loss on Monday.

But the Lions came back fighting, scoring 37 runs in three games, to win the district title and the right to host a region semifinal on Monday.

"You need to be in close games and be prepared," Scotts Hill coach Carl Harken said. "Our kids made adjustments throughout the week. Adamsville threw a heckuva pitcher against us in that last game. We battled through the order the first time, and then we made adjustments."

That one-run loss made Scotts Hill refocus as a loss the following day against Jackson Christian would have meant elimination.

"It's good to have your backs against the wall sometimes," Harken said. "This is a mentally-tough group with six seniors on the team. Everyone of them contributed for this title."

In these final three games, Cody Carter had 10 RBI to help get the offense going once again.

"We didn't play great baseball in that loss to Adamsville," Carter said. "We didn't swing it like we know how. We knew that we had to have a better day at the plate."

Harken said that is the type of player that Carter has been all season.

"Cody has been our most consistent hitter all year, and it showed up in the biggest moments," Harken said. "We wouldn't expect anything less from him."

When asked what the difference was between the one run scored against Adamsville in the loss to the average of 12 runs per game over the next three, Carter said it was about discipline.

"We had a better approach at the plate and were more disciplined," Carter said. "I think that loss helped us a lot, and it was better for us. We needed that to give us that fight back in us to come back and win it."

Reach Michael Odom at michodom@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter at @JSWriterMichael.