Youth ball: Primetime falls in Senior Babe Ruth World Series opener

A five-run sixth inning, highlighted by a grand slam, broken open the game for good by Mid-County, Texas, for a 6-1 victory over Battle Ground-based Primetime in Primetime’s opening game of the 16-18 Babe Ruth World Series on Sunday at Johnson-O’Brien Stadium at Ephrata.

It was a 1-1 game through five innings as each team’s starter — Primetime’s Jasper Rank and Mid-County’s Conner Kemp — allowed two hits apiece.

But to start the sixth, Mid-County drew back-to-back walks, and after a fielder’s choice following a single that gave Mid-County a 2-1 lead, Chase Kemp’s grand slam pushed the lead to 6-1.

Rank threw six innings, allowed four hits and struck out three.

Both teams finished with four hits. Rank and Parker Reeves each went 1-for-3. Reeves scored Primetime’s second-inning run on Jakeb Hammond’s RBI hit that tied it at 1-all. Dylan Grotte was 1-for-2.

Primetime’s next game is 2 p.m. Monday against Tucson, Ariz..

LineDrive NW finishes second at USABF

Saige Keep went 2-for-3 to highlight LineDrive NW’s performance in the United States Amateur Baseball Federation’s championship game Sunday in San Diego, as the Vancouver-based team lost to the Colton Nighthawks, 5-0.

Trevor Swartz allowed three earned runs on five hits over four innings, and Brannan Meriweather threw two innings in relief and allowed one earned run on two hits.

Taylor Birchem also went 1-for-3 for LineDrive, which concluded its season with a record of 33-7-2.