Sports Editor

Against Troy on Friday night, Enterprise pitcher Nick Love started by being yanked from the mound after walking four of the first five batters he faced and giving up two unearned runs.

But the 14-year-old ended the game on top of the world.

Love’s two-run homer in the top of the eighth broke a 6-6 extra inning tie and gave Enterprise an 8-6 win in the first round of the Dixie Boys 14-year-old Baseball Tournament.

Troy head coach Donnie Knotts figured Love to be the toughest pitcher they would face against Enterprise, but the youngster was unable to find the plate early on.

Robby Coker replaced Love in the first inning. Coker gave up a single RBI to Troy’s Martesi Carlisle with the bases loaded and walked two more runs in before he was able to retire the side.

Troy was up 5-0 after the first, but Enterprise begin to cut into the lead in the fourth. Coker led off the inning with a triple and a grounder by Chris Crouch got Coker home.

In the top of the sixth Coker, who led all Enterprise hitters with three on the night, opened with a double and scored on a pass ball. Back-to-back basehits resulted in Carlisle being pulled in favor of Andrew Folmar. Enterprise added another run before Folmar could close out the inning.

Troy added a run in their half of the sixth when Herbert Ward grounded into a fielder’s choice to score Morgan Sanders.

After an Enterprise run, and with Troy up just 6-4 in the top of the seventh, a line drive double by Davis Stephenson sent two runners home to tie the game.

However, with the go-ahead run on third and just one out, Folmar struck out the next two Enterprise batters.

Troy was unable to muster any offensive power in the seventh, the only hit coming from Quavian Lewis, who had a double into centerfield but was left stranded on base.

Coker and the closer Crouch, who came in as relief in the sixth, held Troy to only three hits. Carlisle and Folmar combined to give up nine hits, while walking six and striking out 11.

Troy will play next on Monday against the winner of Saturday’s Taylor Rehobeth-Dothan game. Enterprise will play the winner of Saturday’s Luverne-Eufaula contest, also on Monday.

13-year-old Dixie Boys

Enterprise 1, Troy 0

So much for homefield advantage.

The Troy 13-year-old squad became the third Troy team, all playing at the Sportsplex, to drop an opening tournament contest. The Troy 13’s fell to Enterprise 1-0 on Friday night, despite a strong piching performance from Marquez Toney. The 14-year-old Dixie Boys team, as well as the Troy National Dixie Youth squad, also lost on Friday night.

Enterprise had just three hits off of Toney, but the biggest – and only one that counted – was a homerun in the bottom of the first.

Clay Helms, Brent Kohn, Toney, Jim Wallace and Chris Griggs all had hits to lead Troy. Kohn and Griggs were the only two Troy players that advanced as far as second base.

Toney had 10 strike outs for the game, with just the one earned run, in six complete innings pitched.

Troy needed a win over Dothan on Saturday night to stay alive in the tournament. Geneva played Enterprise in the late game, also on Saturday.