PHOTO GALLERY: Kiwanis Dixie Youth Baseball Opening Day
Photos by Johnnie Daniels/The Dillon Herald
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By Lonnie Turner
All one had to do on Monday, April 12, was to ride past the Dillon Kiwanis baseball facility in northeast Dillon at around 5 p.m., to realize that spring has really arrived. Children who signed up for the spring and summer program, sponsored by the Dillon Kiwanis Club, were introduced individually as they took the field to get baseball started in the area.
The program, which began at the park in 1959, has dwindled from 6 teams in the Major League and 6 in the Minors with as many as 15 players on each team, to only two Major and three Minors this season. The younger leaguers, T-Ball and Coach Pitch players, were also on hand to run out on the playing field prior to the season’s first pitch by Joe Price, former Kiwanis Member, coach, and owner of Family Sports Center in Dillon.
The Physicians Healthcare Yankees defeated the Dillon Internal Medicine Hurricanes, 8-1, in the first game of the season with Bryson Davis pitching a two-hitter, while striking out eight and walking only two batters. The Yankees scored five times in the bottom of the first inning with five hits, including back to back rbi doubles by Lee Causey and Armani Huggins-Bruce. The Yankees made it, 5-0, scoring a run in the bottom of the second on four bases on balls and scoring two more in their final at-bat. Manny Davis included a triple and with singles were JJ Campbell, who led off the first inning, Bryson Berry and DJ Greene. Gray Easterling started the game for the Hurricanes with a base hit and Landon Willis drove in the only run for the ‘Canes driving in Nick Mandez, who walked to start the third.
There were two Minor League games on Tuesday, Latta 1 vs McLeod-Dillon and ACE Hardware vs Dillon Dental, which will be included in The Herald on Tuesday. No games were scheduled for Wednesday, which was Picture Day at the Dillon Wellness Center. On Thursday, ACE Hardware and Dillon Dental will play again, followed by LATTA 2 vs McLeod-Dillon.