By Lonnie Turner

The Dillon Family Dental Giants edged the Feed & Farm Rangers 12-10 in a battle of flaming bats Friday night to win the Kiwanis Dixie Youth Baseball regular season.

In the three game series, the Rangers took a 4-1 decision in the opener behind the no-hit pitching of Tristian Brigman and John Rourke and back came the Giants with a 3-0 win in Thursday’s second game on a two hit, 3-0 shutout by Noah Carter to set the stage for the championship game that was played Friday evening.

Unlike the first two games when pitching dominated, both squads used red hot bats and the long ball to decide the outcome in the finale. Trent Johnson got the nod to start on the mound for the Rangers, since Rourke and Brigman had pitched four or more innings on Thursday and a 36 hour rest period was required for either of them to pitch in the final game.

Kris Hunt’s two out single off Giants starter Nick Evans in the top of the first inning with Rourke and Johnson on base gave the Rangers an early 2-0 lead, but in the bottom of the first, Carter led off with a double and scored when Evans singled up the middle to pull within one. Chandler Matthews doubled to right field, scoring Evans to tie the game, and later scored the third run of the inning on a wild pitch. With no outs, Quentin Hunt walked and went to second when Caleb Boykin was safe on an infield hit. J.J. Groom gave the Giants a 4-2 lead with a single that scored Hunt.

The Rangers, who for many years were known as the “Cardiac Kids” under the reins of Coach Judge James Lockemy because of their ability to come from behind in close games, sent six batters to the plate with one out in the top of the third to regain the lead, 7-4. After Rourke worked Evans for a base on balls and Brigman popped out to the catcher, Johnson singled to send Rourke home for a 3-2 score. Jackson Stone followed with a base hit and Kris Hunt walked to load the bases, setting the stage for Quamez Graves, who promptly cleared the bases with a double to the centerfield fence.

Trailing 7-4, the Giants showed their comeback power when Carter doubled for the second time in the game and crossed the plate when Evans hit a sacrifice fly to center field. After Matthews hit still another two-bagger, Quentin Hunt launched a ball out of the park for his second homer of the season to pull even with the Rangers at 7-7.

Think that was all of the heroics of this game? Guess again. With two out in the Ranger fourth, Jackson Stone jacked his third round tripper out of the park to give the Rangers an 8-7 lead.

Still it was like the 4th of July with all kinds of fireworks going off in the bottom of the fifth inning for the Giants. An infield hit by Carter and a double by Matthews, plus an intentional walk to Quentin Hunt, loaded the bases for Caleb Boykin, who drove in two runs with a double for a 9-8 lead. Dai-Dai Blakely connected for his first home run of the season over the centerfield fence to score Hunt and Boykin ahead of him to take a 12-8 lead into the top of the sixth.

Rourke jumped on Matthews, who had relieved Evans at the end of three, for his league-leading fourth home run of the season, but Matthews retired the next two batters, only to give up back-to-back singles to Stone and Kris Hunt to keep the chance to get more runs alive for the Rangers. Hunt’s single scored Stone to cut the lead to 12-10. But Quamez Graves flew out to Carson Sloan to end the game.

The winners tallied 13 hits and the Rangers battled back with 11 safeties, quite a contrast between the title game and the first two when there were only six hits between the two champions.

Summary:

Giants: Noah Carter, 3-3, 2 doubles, 3 runs; Chandler Matthews, 3-3, 3 doubles, 1 rbi, 3 runs; Caleb Boykin, 2-3, double, 2 rbi, 1 run; J.J. Grooms, 2-3, 1 rbi; Quentin Hunt, 1-3, home run, 3 runs; and Dai-Dai Blakely, 1-3, home run, 3 rbi, 1 run.

Rangers: Jackson Stone, 3-4, home run, 1 rbi, 3 runs; Kris Hunt, 2-3, 2 rbi, 1 run; Trent Johnson, 2-3, 1 rbi, 2 runs; John Rourke, 1-3, home run, 1 rbi, 3 runs; Quamez Graves, 1-4, double, 3 rbi, 1 run; Jon-Michael Davis, 1-2; Jordan Mew, 1-3, 1 rbi.

Photos by Johnnie Daniels/THE DILLON HERALD. Click the images below to view at full size!