By Lonnie Turner

After one week in the Dillon Kiwanis Dixie Youth Baseball Program, the Pepsi-Cola Blue Jays and McLeod Health-Dillon Marlins are on top in the Minor League with 2-0 records, while the Dillon Family Dental Giants and the Dillon Meat Center Reds occupy first place in the Major League with the same records.

In Thursday’s action the Burger King Braves got two-hit pitching from Cooper Lane to defeat the True Value Tigers, 7-6, for their first win of the young season. Lane gave up both hits in a four-run third inning, including a two-run inside the park home run by Patrick Christian, but he settled down to get the last two batters in the inning on strikes. Lane’s one-run producing double in the first and a two-RBI single in the second had sparked the early 6-1 lead. A two-out single by Ty Huggins in the bottom of the third drove Jacob Kale home with the eventual winning run. Trailing 7-5 going into the final at-bat for the Tigers, Lane experienced control problems walking three batters and hitting another as the Tigers tried to rally from behind. Reggie Graves led off the inning with a free pass and later scored on a bases loaded walk to Dylan Windham to pull to within one run, but on a passed ball, Braves catcher Huggins retrieved it and tagged Sha-Kyi Wheeler out as he tried to score the tying run to end the game. Ahmari Huggins had the other hit off Lane.

The Reds got a strong no-hit pitching performance from lefty Noah Henderson in the Major League in three innings to stop the James Lockemy Justice Rangers, 4-1, in the nightcap. He struck out seven, walked one and hit a batter before being relieved by Hunter Pittman, who struck out two of the three batters that he faced in the last inning. Henderson’s single in the third inning scored Dylan Hayes and Connor Hyatt to take 3-1 lead into fourth inning and Barnes Causey tallied another insurance run in the inning for the winners. The Rangers scored their only run in the first inning when Cooper Schilsky reached base on a throwing error and later scored on a wild pitch. Henderson had two hits in two plate appearances and Collin Hamilton beat out an infield hit for the winners.

In Friday’s only Minor League game, the McLeod Health Marlins got a perfect batting performance from Trent Johnson with a two-run triple in his first at-bat and run producing singles in the second and third innings to account for four runs batted in. Not to be out-done in the RBI department, Knox Jackson blasted a bases loaded triple and drove in another run with a ground out to contribute four additional runs batted in the 13-3 win over the Burger King Braves. Other Marlins with safe hits were Kwinton Hunt with a double and Jordan Mew with an infield hit. Ty Huggins led off the game for the Braves with a single and later scored . and D.J Brogden led off the fourth with a single. Johnson got the pitching win allowing one hit and striking out five in two complete innings.

There were two more excellent games played in the Majors to end the first week of play. In the first game, the Family Dental Giants took a share of the league lead into the weekend with a hard earned 4-3 win over the Rangers. The Giants scored all of their runs in the bottom of the first inning with Corbin Wethington driving in two runs with a single. Scotty Sweat had an infield hit in the inning and two bases on balls by Ranger pitcher Kolby Watts were costly to the right-hander. Watts settled down and didn’t allow another base runner for the rest of the game. Years ago, the Rangers picked up the name “Cardiac Kids” for their ability to charge back when trailing in a game and Friday was such a game. Richard Alderman began the final inning with a walk, John Rourke was hit by a pitch and Kobe King loaded the bases by getting a free pass form Nick Evans. Jackson Elrod singled sharply to left field driving Alderman and Rourke home to cut the lead to one run, but Evans forced Schilsky to ground back to the mound to end the threat and save him the pitching win. The Rangers also had a hit from Tristian Brigman, a two-out double in the third.

Hunter Pittman won in a pitcher’s duel with Jared Damon as the Reds stopped the Hurricanes, 5-3, in five innings in the third game of the night. The Canes took an early 2-0 lead when Ryan Stephens drew a walk to start the game and scored when Jackson Hayes singled and scored on a wild pitch. The Reds battled back in their half of the inning with Noah Henderson reaching base on an error and Barnes Causey following with a base hit. Collin Hamilton’s single scored Henderson and Causey scored on a bases loaded walk to tie the game before the final out of the inning was made. Jamarius Bethea singled a scored to give the Reds a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second, but Jackson Hayes blasted a hard-hit double to the left field fence and scored when Darmon grounded out back to the mound in the top of the fourth to tie the game again. The Reds rallied for two runs in the bottom of the fourth when Chase Dudney’s single scored Hamilton, who had reached base on a fielder’s choice, and a bases loaded walk scored Dudney. Pittman took the mound for the Reds and gave up a lead-off single to Joseph Desser, but retired the next two batters on strikes. Trent McNeill, in a pinch hitter role smacked a double to left, but was tagged out when he over-ran second.

Monday’s schedule had Physician’s Healthcare and Burger King set for 5:15 in Minor action and the Hurricanes taking on the Rangers in the second game.