MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - The East Columbus Gators made the most of their early morning trip to Myrtle Beach Saturday as they pulled out a 12-11 Waccamaw Conference baseball win over the North Brunswick Scorpions at Coastal Federal Field.

The game had a 9:30 a.m., starting time as it opened the Saturday’s high-school baseball showcase at Coastal Federal stadium, home of the minor league Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

East Columbus got the game-deciding runs in the bottom of the sixth inning when Allen Bracey scored Forrest Steed from third base on a squeeze bunt, and Chad Malpass raced home on a passed ball moments later.

The win evened the Gators’ Waccamaw Conference record at 1-1 as they battled back from an early 9-1 North Brunswick lead. East Columbus is now 5-3 for the season.

ECHS lefthander Caleb Andrews took the win after coming on in relief in the sixth inning.

It also marked the fourth straight year that Coach Karl Bracey’s Gators claimed a victory in Myrtle Beach Showcase.

“We played probably as poorly as we possibly could in the first two innings, so it was encouraging to see our guys come back like they did,” said Coach Bracey, whose squad tallied five runs in the third inning and four in the fifth to battle its way back in the game.”

Allen Bracey went 1-for-3 and drove in three Gators runs while Steed added a run-scoring single.

East Columbus will travel to play Waccamaw Conference rival South Columbus.

Harper, Rabon and Ruitto; Ganus, Patrick, Andrews and Malpass.