Newton County’s Cole Shimfessel scores a run on a passed ball against Quitman’s Bradley Reeves Tuesday night in Decatur.

DECATUR — Eli Harrison went four innings for Newton County and singled in the final run in the bottom of the sixth inning to lead his team to a run-rule shortened, 13-3 win over the Quitman Tuesday. 

Harrison started for the Cougars and gave up two runs off of six hits while ringing up five strikeouts. He also connected for two hits and knocked in two runs, including the game-winner. 

“At the plate, I wasn’t having the night I was hoping to have,” Harrison said. “I had been getting jammed early and wanted to get the barrel on the ball and was able to hit it good.” 

Cougars coach Wyatt Tullos said he knew his squad would produce, he just wasn’t sure which Cougar would take up the task. 

“At different times, they’ve all been productive, and tonight Kyle Henderson did a great job,” Tullos said. “He got the single in second inning that extended the two-out, five-run rally and had a nice drag bunt, and Eli and Christian threw well and threw strikes to give our defense a chance to win.” 

The Cougars got things started when Alec Ivey singled off Panthers starter Bradley Reeves, stole second and scored on a Gavin Bailey hit. 

Newton County blew it open in the bottom of the second when Hayden West stepped up with two outs and laced a single. Henderson followed with a single, and both scored on Christian Aycox’s two-run double. Ivey followed with an RBI double and scored on a Harrison single. 

Harrison scored the final run of the inning on a Panther error to make it 6-0 in favor of the Cougars after two innings. 

West reached on a hit by pitch, moved to third on a perfect drag-bunt by Henderson and scored on a single by Ivey. 

The Panthers got on the board in the top of the fourth when Chad Williams drew a walk and scored on a towering blast by Payton Reynolds that cleared the left field wall to narrow the gap to 7-2 in favor of the Cougars after three and a half innings. 

The Cougars scored five more runs in the bottom of the fourth when Gavin Bailey and Hayden West scored on passed balls, and Henderson connected for an RBI single before Aycox went yard for a two-run homer to give the Cougars 12-2 lead after four innings. 

The Panthers never quit and thwarted a Cougar attempt to end the game after the top of the fifth when Trevor Reynolds reached on a error and scored on a Chad Williams single to extend the 12-3 game. 

Newton County took the game in the bottom of the fifth when Henderson reached on a single and scored on Harrison’s single for the 13-3 final score. 

Ivey led Newton County with four hits and two runs scored. Aycox added a double and a two-run homer while scoring two runs. Harrison had two hits and two RBIs. Henderson had three hits. 

Reynolds had the big bat for Quitman with a home run, two RBIs and one run scored. Williams added a hit and a run. 

Newton County (10-5, 3-2) and Quitman (8-6) will return to action Friday when the Cougars travel to Quitman for another district tilt.