By Lonnie Turner

What people are calling the “first” day of summer, Memorial Day, has come and gone and the Dixie Youth Baseball program in Dillon is still going strong, but there is only one week after this one for our Minor League. The season will be cut a week short due to the District credentials meeting for the All Star team which will see action in the sub-district tournament that is scheduled to start on June 20. The Majors will continue through May 27, since there is no sub-district tournament in that division.

Many towns in the Pee Dee have gone to an 11-12 ear old “Ozone League” sponsored by Dixie Youth Baseball leaving just a few regular leagues playing. Since there are fewer teams, sub-district tournaments are no longer needed, so there is only a district tournament and it will be hosted by the City of Dillon and the Kiwanis Club at the City of Dillon Sports Complex. The tournament will move to the Kiwanis facility on Monday, June 30, or whenever only one field is required to finish the tourney.

In the Majors, there is still a log-jam at the top among three of the five teams in the league. On Memorial Day, the Dillon Family Dental Giants (7-4) moved to within a half game of the Feed and Farm Rangers (7-3) and Dillon Meat Center Reds (7-3), which are tied for the lead.

Noah Carter pitched and batted the Giants to an 8-1 win. He threw a no-hit ball through his two innings on the mound and drove in a pair of runs with a double and single in three trips to the plate. Nick Evans relieved Carter for the final two innings allowing an RBI single to Jared Darmon in the fourth before the 80 minute time limit expired. The two pitchers combined to strike out nine batters and walked only two.

Carson Sloan had a perfect night at the plate with two singles. The first was a bunt single that scored Carter with the bases loaded in a three-run first inning. Chandler Matthews had a single in the third that capped a three-run inning that gave the Giants an 8-0 lead. Also hitting safely for the winners were Caleb Boykin and Dawson Perritt.

Major League
May 22
Feed & Farm Rangers 18, Dillon Internal Medicine Hurricanes 5

Tristian Brigman pitched a four hitter and batted in three runs to lead the Rangers to an 18-5 victory. John Rourke, Jackson Stone, and Jackson Elrod also had two hits each and drove in four and three runs respectively. Others with hits for the winners were Trent Johnson, double, one RBI; Quamez Graves, double, one RBI; Kris Hunt, single, one RBI; and Jon-Michael Davis, single.

Trent McNeill singled and had an RBI for the Hurricanes and Jared Darmon singled in a run. Others with hits were Charlie Collins and Caleb Hunt.

Dillon Family Dental Giants 9, Physicians Healthcare Yankees 4

Nick Evans homered and Landarian Johnson tripled to lead the Giants over the Yankees 9-4 in Thursday’s second game, while Evans and Chandler Matthews combined to pitch a one-hitter. Noah Carter was two for two, with a double and a single, to join Evans with multiple hits. Others contributing with base hits were Caleb Boykin, Dawson Perritt, and Yank Hodge. Ahmari Huggins-Bruce spoiled the no-hit attempt with a two out single in the last inning for the Yankees.

Minor League
May 23
Burger King Braves 4, Pepsi-Cola Blue Jays 1

Both teams had only two hits each, but the Braves took advantage of walks, scoring three times as a direct result of free passes. Bryce Patterson, a Coach Pitch player, was used by the Braves, which were short a player, and the youngster drove in a run with a single and scored the eventual winning run. Ahmad German also beat out an infield hit. Jeremy Byrd had both hits for the Blue Jays.

Major League
May 23
Hurricanes 15, Yankees 3

A trio of batters went 2-for-2 and combined to drive in six runs in an 11-hit outing against the Yankees last Friday. Jared Darmon doubled and singled to score three runs and Charlie Collins sent three home with two singles and a walk. Cooper Lane went 2-for-2 and walked in three at bats. Other’s with hits for the winners were Ameer Moultrie, Brandon Bethea, Keith Rippy, Josh Brown, and Trent McNeill. Lane, on the mound for the Hurricanes, allowed just three hits through three innings. Ahmari Huggins-Bruce blasted a home run out of the park and Azeon Brown joined Quamari McIver with a single each.

Dillon Meat Center Reds 8, Giants 4

Endzone Bethea tripled twice to lead the Reds in an 8-4 win over the Giants in the Friday night finale. Also getting two hits were Collin Hamilton and Jared Ivey. Hamilton, in relief of Chase Dudney, was declared the winning pitcher. Gage Hunt and Austin Coward also hit safely for the Reds. Noah Carter hit a two-run homerun for the Giants. Chandler Matthews, Nick Evans, and Caleb Boykin had a hit each in a losing cause.