The Marshall County 13-15 year old stars opened up its defense of back-to-back Babe Ruth League Eastern Divison state championships in style Friday night at Lawrenceburg as Carson Cheek and Daniel Sellars combined for a 10-0 shutout no-hitter over longtime archrival Giles County.

The two hurlers got plenty of help from their teammates at the plate as Marshall County had eight hits and scored 10 runs in a five-inning, run rule win.

Trey Warner led the offense with a 2-for-4 night and two RBIs at the dish, while Sellars (RS), Cheek (2B, RBI, 2RS, 3BB, 2SB), Caleb McElhaney (2B, RS, BB), John Morgan Thomas (2B, 2RS, 2BB), Cova Rowland (BB, RBI), and Balin Luttrell (RBI) all had one hit apiece in the contest.

Cheek started on the hill and worked his way out of a first inning bases loaded one out jam by striking out the final two Lawrenceburg batters and he knocked in the only run Marshall County needed when he slammed an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning.

There was no scoring in the second inning and Cheek escaped a second and third two-out jam in the top of the third on a nice catch in right field by Rowland for the third out.

Marshall County added three more runs in the bottom of the third with Shane Hay, Thomas Beech, and Rowland driving in one run apiece.

Cheek set down Giles County in order in his final inning and Marshall County put the game away in the bottom of the fourth as they sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs on just one hit, a rare two RBI infield hit by Warner.

Giles County helped by issuing five bases on balls in the frame by uncorked a run-scoring wild pitch and committed an error that scored two more runs.

Sellars walked the first batter he faced in the top of the fifth inning, but got a pop-up to second before the defense turned a pretty 4-6-3 inning ending double play to send the game to the bottom of the fifth.

Cheek began the frame by working a one out walk and promptly stole second and third base.

After a pop-up kept Cheek at third, Thomas and Kyrklin Wunderlin drew back-to-back bases on balls before Rowland stepped in and stepped up, drilling the walk-off single to right field that ended the game and sent Marshall County to a winner’s bracket showdown with host Lawrence County on Saturday.

Giles County 000 00X X-0 0 4

Marshall County 103 51X X-10 8 0

Giles County: No Hits.

BB: Sawyer Phillips 2, Clay Mitchell, Riley Cardin.

HBP: Tucker Toone.

SB: Mitchell.

E: Toone 2, Phillips, Aiden Kelley.

LP: Will Hargrove.

Marshall County: Trey Warner 2-for-4, Daniel Sellars 1-for-4, Carson Cheek 1-for-1, Caleb McElhaney 1-for-3, John Morgan Thomas 1-for-2, Cova Rowland 1-for-2, Balin Luttrell 1-for-1.

RS: Cheek 2, Thomas 2, Kyrklin Wunderlin 2, Sellars, Shane Hay, Caleb McElhaney, James Hery.

BB: Cheek 3, Thomas 2, Wunderlin 2, Hay, Rowland, McElhaney.

2B: Cheek, McElhaney, Thomas.

RBI: Warner 2, Cheek, Thomas Beech, Rowland, Hay, Luttrell.

FC: Beech, Wunderlin.

ROE: Warner, Beech, McElhaney.

SB: Cheek 2, Warner, Hay.

DP: Cheek, Wunderlin, Thomas.

WP: Carson Cheek (4IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 4BB, 6K).

Relief: Daniel Sellars (1IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 1K).