By Lonnie Turner

The Dillon Meat Center Reds tightened the Dillon Kiwanis Dixie Youth Major League race even more on Monday when they defeated the Physicians Healthcare Yankees, 10-0, to improve their record to 4 wins and 3 losses.

After six games, the Dillon Family Dental Giants, Dillon Internal Medicine Hurricanes, and Feed & Farm Rangers were deadlocked for the lead with identical 4-3 records. The Reds are a full game behind in the loss column and all four teams are scheduled to play on Thursday, weather permitting. The Hurricanes will host the Reds at 6:00 p.m. and immediately following, the Giants will be the visiting team against the Rangers.

In Monday night’s win for the Reds, a mammoth home run by “Endzone” Bethea, highlighted the evening and he was presented a team-autographed baseball at the team huddle after the game. His solo homer landed in the middle of the road beyond the right field fence to give the Reds a 4-1 lead.

Chase Dudney collected two hits in three trips to the plate to lead the team’s seven-hit attack. The Reds added four more runs in the third inning, taking advantage of four walks and a single off the bat of Gage Hunt, and Jared Ivey’s single in the fourth sent Dudney home with the run-rule winning run.

Barnes Causey, who pitched perfect ball through the first two innings, was the winning pitcher. Malachi Bember also hit safely for the winners.

BoBo McKinnon hit a two-out single in the fourth off reliever Collin Hamilton to break up the perfect game, but was thrown out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double.

In Minor League action, the Burger King Braves upset the league leading Ace Hardware Tigers, 4-3, on Monday for their first win of the season. D.J. Brogdon’s grand slam homerun in the first scored all the runs the Braves needed to get the win. Nate Ford was the winning pitcher, striking out nine Tigers while walking four. A last inning rally by the Tigers produced two runs, but Ford recorded a two-out strikeout with the bases loaded to get the victory. In a losing cause, Andrew Bryant and Brock Mack singled for the Tigers.

The McLeod Health Marlins took over second place in the Minor League with a 7-4 win over the Burger King Braves in Tuesday’s first of two Minor League games, coupled with the Pepsi Cola Blue Jays’ loss to the front running Ace Hardware Tigers in the nightcap.

Pepsi had to enlist a player to field nine in the finale. Ace Hardware scored three runs in the first, two in the third, and four more in the bottom of the fourth to win the game by the run-rule at 11-1.

Zach Hunt was three for three at the plate and also hurled a no-hitter to collect the pitching win. Others with hits for the winners were Troy Jones (single), Andrew Bryant (double), Dylan Windham (double), Quashad Singleton (single), and Brock Mack collected two singles.

Nigel George was the only base runner for the Blue Jays. He was hit by a pitch, went to second and third on passed balls, and scored when Holden Matthews grounded out.

McLeod outhit the Braves, 4-1, and scored five runs through the first two innings by taking advantage of four bases on balls and three hits. Chandler Pittman’s two run triple scored the final two runs as the 80 minute time limit expired. Pittman also had a double and picked up the save on the mound for starting and winning pitcher “Cadillac” Hunt. Hunt also had a single and Leo Garcia singled in the three-run second.

The only hit for the Braves was a single by D.J. Brogdon in the final at bat when Burger King cut the lead to 5-4 in the top of the third.