ADAM RUSSELL WINS HOME RUN DERBY --NEWNAN TIMES-HERALD

'Big' bat wins Home Run Derby
By Stuart Crosby

The Times-Herald

If ESPN was in attendance Thursday at Northgate High for the Great South League Championship Series Home Run Derby, announcer Chris Berman would have liked Adam Russell's evening.
Representing the Alabama Big Train, Russell drilled a total of 20 home runs in three rounds to win the event and walk away with a $100 giftcard from event sponsor Toyota of Newnan and a commemorative bat from the league.
In the first round, Russell and Newnan Braves player Edmond Sparks went "back, back, back" four times each while Nick Brennen of the Augusta Nationals had home runs.
A tie for fourth place existed between Ryan Lloyd of the Braves, John Hennecken of the Nationals along with Tennessee Styx teammates Michael Brown and Tyler Cross.
An extra round was needed for the foursome with Brown qualifying for the second round as two of his hits hit the fence.
In the second round, Russell came alive with six long balls while Sparks drilled three, Brennen hit one and Brown hit the wall again.
The championship round would feature Russell and Sparks who were tied for the lead in the GSL home run race during the regular season and that is where the Big Train first baseman came to life as he drilled pitch after pitch over the fence.
The home run barrage came much to the chagrin of the many outfielders that consisted of three teams from the Sharpsburg AABC League and Newnan Braves player Zach Farmer.
Farmer may have had the strongest effort of the evening by serving as the catcher the entire evening under very hot temperatures while youthful members of the Cardinals, Indians and Red Sox simply wanted to chase baseballs.
When Russell hit the final out of the round off his father Greg Russell, he finished with a total of 10 while Sparks struggled with a pair of home runs in the round to finish with nine.