The Columbus 10-and-under Dizzy Dean All-Stars are two wins closer to advancing to the World Series.
Thanks to dominating pitching and timely hits, the squad had little problem advancing past two opponents Thursday on the opening day of the Dizzy Dean South state baseball tournament.
After enduring a two-hour rain delay that forced games to be played past 1 a.m. today, Columbus defeated Ackerman 9-1 and East Central 7-0.
Blayze Berry, Rye Mcglothin, and Andrew Nix handled duties on the mound.
“We”re still scoring enough points to win,” Columbus coach Jackie Smith said. “I”m excited. I”m pleased with our pitching. I talked earlier in the week … our pitching and our hitting was going to be our strength, and there you go.”
Columbus will play Tupelo at 6 p.m. Saturday in a winners” bracket game. Tupelo beat Macon 20-3 and Caledonia 17-2 on Thursday.
Other local teams will have to survive play in the losers” bracket to have a chance to win the double-elimination event.
Caledonia defeated Saltillo 8-7 before falling to Tupelo.
Starkville beat Pontotoc 13-11 in its first game before losing to Louisville 12-2.
“Our guys played really hard and I”m proud of them,” Starkville coach Jim Yates said. “Louisville has some outstanding pitching and we weren”t able to hit the ball like we wanted to.
“When you”re talking about playing at 12:30 a.m. in the morning, going on 1 o”clock and still playing hard, I was real proud of them. I feel about us coming back tomorrow and playing.”
West Point and Hamilton also lost in the first round. Both teams will have to win games today to stay alive.
n In other action, The Starkville 12-year-old Dizzy Dean All-Stars defeated Greenwood on Thursday in Eupora. Tyler Stovall had two home runs.
The Columbus Nationals 8-year-old Dizzy Dean All-Stars beat Hamilton 17-2 on Thursday in Louisville. Columbus will play East Central, which beat Tupelo, today.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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