After dropping their opening game of the district tournament, the Columbia 7u All-Stars reeled four straight wins to capture the district crown last weekend.
With Hattiesburg American entering the district finals undefeated, Columbia needed two wins last Sunday to claim the title while facing a win or go home scenario in Game 1.
In a back-and-forth affair, Noah DuBois tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with an inside-the-park home run before Columbia walked off with the win, 22-21, to force a winner take all final game. Cash McKenzie led Columbia with three runs scored, while eight players each scored twice.
Following the win to force a true title game, head coach Mark McCain had a message for his team, instilling confidence in the young sluggers.
“I just told the guys ‘You got them where you want them now,’” he said. “It’s winner take all and they knew they could beat them.”
Defense was key in the title game as Columbia held Hattiesburg scoreless through three innings and allowing just three runs for the game to claim the district crown, 13-3, on Sunday.
Parker Dykes sent a liner to the fence, scoring DuBois to end the game due to the 10-run rule. Every Columbia player scored in the win.
After the first game of the night was postponed due to field conditions after a rainy day, the Columbia 7u All-Stars finally got underway after 9 p.m. Friday night, but lost their opening game of the tournament 16-14 to Hattiesburg American.
In the loss, Caden Turnage, Rylee Gay and Gil Giles all went a perfect 4-for-4, while Easton McCain went 3-for-3, scoring each time he got on base. Braxton Sandifer went 3-for-4, scoring twice, while Billy Fisher also crossed home twice.
Hattiesburg took a late lead, scoring two runs in the final inning to make it 16-14, and Columbia failed to extend the game after being held scoreless in the bottom of the frame.
Heading into Saturday’s action in the loser’s bracket, McCain asked his team whether they were ready to brush themselves off and move forward.
“We just asked the guys if they wanted to keep playing ball or were they ready to go home,” he said. “They all said they were ready to play ball. We came back Saturday and played some ball.”
Following their Friday night loss, the 7u All-Stars rebounded with an early afternoon 15-2 win over Sumrall on Saturday. Dykes, Gay, Giles, Fisher and Caleb Boone each scored twice in the win that ended with a Cooper Brady RBI double, enacting the run rule.
Columbia’s stellar play continued Saturday with a 14-0 shutout victory over Hattiesburg National, leading to their title showdown. Braxton Sandifer, Carson Elkins, DuBois, Dykes and Boone each scored twice.
The Columbia 7u All-Stars will play in the state tournament this weekend in Brookhaven, beginning Friday night with a 6 p.m. showdown against Natchez.
While McCain believes the offense is where it needs to be, he wants the defense to improve heading into state.
“We’ve been hitting the ball well,” he concluded. “We just need to tighten the defense up a little bit.”
Pictured Above: Braxton Sandifer watches a single off of his bat. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
