By Lonnie Turner

Monday, May 30
Physicians Healthcare Pirates 13, McLeod Health Marlins 3

Pirates’ catcher Jackson Hayes drove in 6 runs to lead the Pirates to a 13-3 win over the Marlins to start the eighth week of Dixie Youth Baseball action Monday evening. With the temperature hovering around the 95 degree mark, Hayes’ bat was just as hot as he tripled and singled three times in four official times at bat. Lead-off batter, Micah Garcia, was also perfect at the plate with three base hits and two runs batted in and Scotty Sweat doubled to account for two more runs. Jared Darmon pitched a complete game allowing only three Marlin hits while getting nine strikeouts. The right-hander also singled twice in four plate appearances and scored a run in a 7-run third inning that put the game out of reach. All three hits for the Marlins were bunched in the third inning when all three runs were scored. Mason Bailey started the inning with a single, Poppi Quick walked with one out and Collin Hamilton drove them in with a single. Tristian Brigman ended the scoring with a triple that sent Brigman home. Darmon struck out three of the next batters that he faced to get the win.

Tuesday, May 31
Pepsi-Cola Blue Jays 9, McLeod Health Marlins 7

The Marlins dropped their second game of week eight, losing 9-7 to The Blue Jays on Tuesday. A triple by Tristian Brigman, his second in two games this week, started the scoring in the first inning for the Marlins. After Collin Hamilton reached base on a fielder’s choice, and Brigman’s 3-base hit scored him, Cooper Schilsky walked and scored along with Brigman on Keith Rippy’s solid hit to left field. The Blue Jays came right back in the bottom of the inning to score four runs on four walks, a hit batter and two hits, including a triple to the opposite field by Evans, who also had run scoring doubles in his last two times at the plate. Cole Carroll drove in two runs with his second single of the game in the bottom of the third inning and scored when Evans hit his second two-bagger. The Marlins rallied for four runs in the top of the fourth inning off relief pitcher Kobe King. Schilsky singled and King issued walks to four batters and hit another before striking out two of the final three batters that he faced.

True Value Tigers 9, Burger King Braves 7

Occupying second place at the start of the second game on Tuesday, the Tigers knocked the Braves out of first place with a 9-7 victory. The Tigers, currently holding a 3-1 record in the second half and an overall record of moved ahead of the Braves (3-2) by a half game. Hunter Pittman pitched and hit his way to the win going three innings on the mound allowing only two hits while striking out six and going two for three at the plate, including a triple.

Thursday, June 2
True Value Tigers 5, Pepsi-Cola Blue Jays 0

Hunter Pittman and Richard Alderman combined to pitch a two-hitter to lead the front-running Tigers to a 5-0 victory over the Blue Jays in Thursday’s Minor League action. The win by the Tigers (4-1) gives them a full one game lead over the Burger King Braves (3-2) in the second half of the season with only four games left in the regular season. Pittman allowed only one hit in three innings, struck out nine and walked two while picking up his ninth pitching win in ten decisions. He led all batters at the plate with two hits, including a two-run double, and a walk. Dray Thompson and Richard Alderman added RBI two baggers and Cody White drove in a run with a single. Kobe King belted a triple to lead off the game and was stranded at third and Hunter Lane hit a lead-off double off Pittman in the fourth, but he was left on base when Pittman struck out the side to end the inning.

Burger King Braves 11, Physicians Healthcare Pirates 5

John Rourke and Malachi Bember were the hitting stars for the Braves with two hits apiece in Burger King’s 11-5 win over the Pirates on Thursday. Rourke drove in a pair of runs with a second inning double and singled in his first at bat while Bember beat out two infield hits and scored twice. Barnes Causey accounted for three runs driven in with a bases loaded single in a six-run second inning that broke the close 2-1 game open for the Braves. Noah Henderson doubled to lead off the first inning and scored the first run for the Braves and John “J.J.” Hodge singled in the big second. Micah Garcia continued with his hot bat for the Pirates with two singles and reached base on a fielder’s choice and scored in his third plate appearance. Ryan Stephens batted three times and singled twice driving in a run. He also walked and scored one of the first two runs for the Pirates in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead into the Burger King second inning.

MAJOR LEAGUE

Monday, May 30
Jackie Hayes B.B. Yankees 5, James Lockemy Justice Rangers 4

It took eight innings for the Yankees to eke out a 5-4 win over the Rangers in Monday’s lone Major League game. Jordan Hyatt, as he has done on three separate occasions this season, won the game for the Yankees in walk-off fashion. After Xavier McMillan opened the eighth with a walk, Hyatt hit a screamer into the gap in right for a double to score McMillan with the winning run. The Yankees were cruising along with a 4-0 lead on the strength of a two-run homer over the Wendy’s banner in right-center field by Hyatt, who also led off the game with a double and scored the first Yankee run, but the Rangers, living up to the nickname of Cardiac Kids, scored a total of four runs in the fourth and fifth innings to send the game into extra innings. Luke Price singled in the first run in the 4th and Ereck Eck hit a single with teammates on second and third to pull within a run. Back to back singles by Price and Matthew Buckner tied the game at 4-4. Starting pitcher Nick Smith pitched 7 innings and struck out 17 Rangers, but didn’t get the win since he left the mound with the score tied. Darious Boatwright pitched to only 4 batters in the 8th to get the win. For the Yankees in addition to Hyatt’s three hits, Smith and Boatwright were 2 for 3 at the plate. The Rangers were led by Price with a perfect 3 for3 and with a hit apiece were Pee Wee Wilson, Buckner and Eck.

Thursday, June 2
Dillon Family Dental Giants 5, James Lockemy Justice Rangers 3

The Giants got an outstanding pitching performance out of Thomas Evans in a 5-3 win over the Rangers on Thursday. The big right-handed hurler allowed only four hits through five innings while striking out eight and walking two. At the plate, he led off the top of the fifth inning with a two-base hit and scored the eventual winning run when Ray-Ray McGirt belted a 2-out double scoring him and Daniel Khalil. McGirt homered off Pee Wee Wilson in the top of the first with a runner aboard to give the Giants a quick 2-0 lead. Luke Price was called to the mound and six of the next eleven batters before the Giants got to him scoring three runs in the 4th and 5th innings. Dylan Ivey also went 2 for 2 for the Giants and with a hit apiece were Josh Hunt, Khalil. Price drove in a Ranger run with a single and Nash Miller singled and scored. The other two hits off Evans were by T.J. Watson and Evan Paul.

Dillon Internal Medicine Hurricanes 6, Cotton’s Grocery Reds 5

In a squeaker, the Hurricanes scored four runs in the first inning and added two more in the second and hung on as the Reds chipped away at the lead through the time shortened contest. Singles by Dymel DeBerry, Avery McCall and Davis Cook highlighted the big first inning and three walks and an infield single by Scooter Graves produced the two runs in the second for the winners. Peyton Cox drove in a pair of runs in the first inning for the Reds and Evan Vaughn tripled and scored on a wild pitch in the second. A last inning rally fell short in the fourth. With two out, Jon-Mitchell Carter reached first on a throwing error and went all the way around the bases to score, but relief pitcher Ra-Ra Fletcher got Spencer Terry to ground out to end the game.

Friday, June 3
Jackie Hayes B.B. Yankees 3, Dillon Internal Medicine Hurricanes 2

Two unearned runs in the top of the fifth inning gave the Yankees their second win of the week, edging the Hurricanes 3-2 in Friday’s opening Major League contest. Jordan Hyatt walked and scored the first Yankee run when Bubba Barnes bounced out to open the game, but the Hurricanes used singles by Dawson Dove and Dymel DeBerry, a pair of walks and an error to take a 2-1 lead at the end of 2 innings.  Back to back fielding errors by the Hurricane defense led to runs by Hyatt and Barnes and Darious Boatwright stopped the ‘Canes in the last inning with three strikeouts. Scooter Graves also had a hit for the Hurricanes. In a losing effort, two Hurricane pitchers allowed only one hit for the Yankees, a single by Barnes. Avery McCall pitched three innings and didn’t allow a hit, but walked five and Ra-Ra Fletcher gave up the Barnes hit.

Dillon Family Dental Giants 4, Cotton’s Grocery Reds 3

Ray-Ray McGirt won for the 5th time in 6 decisions in Friday’s late game with a 4-3 victory over the Reds. Even though the lefty ran into some control problems issuing 8 free passes and hitting a batter, he only allowed a lead-off infield single to Spencer Terry to start the game. Connor Anderson was called on in relief after Peyton Cox was hit bay a pitch in the 3rd with no outs. Anderson struck out two, walked one and hit a batter to finish the third and gave up another infield hit to Terry to start the fourth. Terry stole second, went to third on a passed ball and scored on a ball thrown back to the pitcher. Anderson struck out two of the last four batters to take a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the fourth. Dylan Ivey started the final inning with his second hit of the game, but the game was called when time ran out with Cledus Williams at the plate. Five straight hits in the bottom of the first inning gave the hard hitting Giants their four runs. After McGirt led off with a walk, Ivey scored him with a double and Williams sent him home with another two-bagger. Thomas Evans, Daniel Khalil and Kaleb Johnson followed with singles to end the scoring.