Beaufort County 14U marches on in World Series

It was another long night on the diamond for the Beaufort County 14U All-Stars but it won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

Starting pitcher Daniel Keber had a trying day on the mound Sunday but was stellar at the plate, hitting a grand slam to clinch a 19-7 win over Texas in the second round of the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series at Oscar Frazier Park.

“My team played great and I wanted to seal the deal to get those runs back,” Keber said.

Beaufort County, which scored in double digits for the second straight game, will face Mississippi, North Carolina or South Carolina Monday at 7 p.m. in the winner’s bracket.

Despite slight fatigue, assistant coach Rex Smith said his team has plenty more offensive firepower left in the tank.

“These kids are always asking if they can go hit,” Smith said. “They’ll be ready (Monday) night.”

Texas jumped to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning but the All-Stars recovered quickly with an RBI double by Cooper George.

“Our guys were a little nervous,” Smith said. “If you win a championship in Texas, that’s almost equivalent to winning a national championship.”

Beaufort County’s Zack Morillo broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI single and Elijah _Peter later added a run-scoring double. Eventually, the All-Stars found themselves with a comfortable 8-2 advantage.

The All-Stars continued their dominant run, adding 11 more runs to their stat sheet and forcing the game to end per the mercy rule.

Beaufort County’s 13U team was not as fortunate in its quest to win the Junior Boys World Series title. It was ousted from the double-elimination event with a 16-6 loss to Louisiana.

Matthew Mebane shouldered the load early, hitting a solo homer and a two run double. In the bottom of the fourth, Michael Smith and Tyler Haley each belted an RBI single to pull Beaufort County to within five runs.

Despite two tough losses, head coach Brandon Hage said he was impressed with his team’s ability to fight through adversity, saying his players were valiant in defeat.

“There are a lot of other kids that would have laid down and quit,” Hage said. “These kids have character, heart, and I hope I had something to do with that.”

With just four kids from the Beaufort area, the team struggled to find continuity.

“We had a month of practice,” Hage said. “Other teams played 20 or 30 games before they got here. We dealt with an uphill battle but I’m proud of everyone.”

This story was originally published August 6, 2017 at 11:47 PM with the headline "Beaufort County 14U marches on in World Series."