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Dixie Junior Boys World Series Roundup

Local flavor lost in loss to Georgia

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Bluffton's Mark Hindall sensed his team had just wasted its last opportunity.

With his team trailing 5-4 in the fifth inning, Hindall stood on third base with no outs. And he remained there for 11 pitches while watching Georgia starting pitcher Mitchell Donahue strike out the next three Bluffton hitters.

After the third strikeout, Hindall took off his helmet and slammed it against the dirt at Oscar J. Frazier Park as he walked back to the dugout.

"When I was on third, I thought it was our chance," Hindall said. "But when I got off third, my confidence went down a lot."

Any confidence that remained for the host team of the Dixie Junior Boys World Series was gone shortly thereafter. Georgia scored seven runs in the top half of the sixth before pulling away for a 12-4 victory Sunday afternoon. The loss eliminated Bluffton from the World Series.

"We made it competitive for both teams we played," Bluffton coach Larry Hindall said. "That's what we wanted to do. We hoped we could get a win, but we weren't able to this time."

That appeared to be a possibility for most of the contest. Bluffton took a 3-1 advantage in the second inning when catcher Joey Molnar delivered the team's biggest hit of the tournament, a three-run double that rolled to the right field fence.

But Georgia responded with three runs of its own in the top of the third, taking the lead for good. Each team added a run in the fifth before Georgia's outburst for seven in the sixth. In that frame, Georgia first baseman Taylor Brooks recorded two of his four hits on the afternoon, including a run-scoring triple down the right field line.

"That outside pitch, that's my pitch," Brooks said. "In practice, I kill that pitch all the time."

Bluffton's Marcus Hindall talks about his team's World Series experience.

His team is out, but Larry Hindall is proud of the host team's effort.

Georgia?s Taylor Brooks discusses his 4-for-4 day against the host team.

The triple fueled the rally that effectively ended Bluffton's World Series on Sunday afternoon. At the conclusion of the game, the Bluffton players, many of whom were in tears, were given honorary medals for participating in the Dixie Junior Boys World Series.

Alabama 9, South Carolina 6, 8 innings

Josh Brooks singled in the go-ahead run during a three-run eighth, and Alabama remained undefeated after the tournament's first extra-inning ballgame.

"That was emotionally, mentally and physically draining, especially in this heat, especially against a team that's as good in all aspects of the game as South Carolina," Brooks said. "This is what World Series baseball is about."

The teams traded leads twice, and both teams rallied to tie the score in the seventh.

Alabama's William Olsey homered to lead off the seventh, and his team tacked on a second run later in the inning when Patrick Cox doubled and Brian Winn singled him in for a 6-4 lead.

But South Carolina tied it in the bottom of the frame behind Colie Bowers' lead-off double and Collin Steagall's sacrifice fly.

Brooks had Alabama's only hit in the eighth but scored three with the aid of an error, two walks and a hit batsman.

Olsey pitched into the seventh but didn't figure in the decision. He helped his own cause, though, with a two-run double in the third. Brooks and Cox were each 2-for-4 with a double.

For South Carolina, Bowers was 3-for-4, and Steagall was 2-for-2 with two RBIs.

Florida 15, Tennessee 3, 5 innings

Kevin Quinones' two-run home run highlighted a six-run fourth inning and sent Florida to victory in an elimination game stopped by the 10-run mercy rule.

Quinones was 3-for-4, including a pair of doubles, and had three stolen bases.

Florida, which lost to Alabama by the 10-run rule in Saturday's opener, turned the tables Sunday, never trailing and using a six-run rally in the second to take a 7-0 lead.

Timothy Tapia was 3-for-3 and closed out the victory on the mound. Brian Torres and Cristian Figueroa were each 2-for-3.

Mississippi 12, North Carolina 2 (5 innings)

About the only thing unusual on Anthony Alford's fifth-inning grand slam was that it came with only one out.

After Mississippi scored its first seven runs of the game with two-out rallies, Alford delivered the tournament's biggest blast thus far -- a grand slam that landed well beyond the left field fence. It was his fifth home run since the beginning of the state competition.

"He's our spark," Mississippi coach Drew Dewease said. "He really gets the other guys going."

Not that they needed any help. Trevor Williams and Hayden Lott, both of whom hit home runs in Saturday's win over Louisiana, laced two-out, run-scoring singles to fuel a four-run second inning and give Mississippi a five-run cushion.

Mississippi coach Drew Dewease discusses grabbing wins in the first two rounds.

Mississippi is one of only two undefeated teams remaining.

"We're in the driver's seat right now," Alford said.

Louisiana 16, Arkansas 3 (5 innings)

Evan Maiocchi found about the best possible way to celebrate his 14th birthday -- with four hits, three runs and a first career victory in the Dixie World Series.

Maiocchi reached base all four times he came to the plate, leading Louisiana to a rout of Arkansas in an elimination game Sunday.

"I was feeling pretty good," Maiocchi said. "... They say we're going to party now."

Birthday boy Evan Maiocchi enjoys his big day at the plate

Louisiana coach Scott Creel talks about the production of the middle of his lineup.

Maiocchi already received one gift when he arrived at the ballpark -- his name in the cleanup spot in the Louisiana batting order. Manager Scott Creel shuffled his lineup to try to create more runs, and the plan worked as Louisiana pounded out 10 hits. Rick Todda added a pair of singles.

Reese Crystal threw a complete game to get the victory. He faced the minimum 12 hitters in the final four innings after allowing three runs in the first.

Virginia 8, Texas 7, 9 innings

For the second consecutive night, Virginia plated the winning run in its final at-bat, scoring on a Texas error in the bottom of the ninth to win the longest game of the tournament in both time and innings played.

Three Virginia pitchers issued eight walks but scattered just four hits.

And the commonwealth's hitters twice regained the lead after Texas rallies.

Virginia's manager talks about his late-blooming pitchers and ponders how to spend a day off.

In the ninth, Andrew Hamlett drew a lead-off walk, moved to second and then to third on fielder's choices then scored when Texas shortstop Mahlon Acres couldn't field Jacob New's sharp grounder in the hole.

New was 2-for-5. Also for Virginia, Dillon Puryear was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and Ryan Yates was 2-for-4.

Virginia earns a bye into Tuesday's 8 p.m. winner's bracket game.

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