After a fast start to the Dixie Boys Baseball World Series, the last two days for the Duplin County All-Stars have been a tale of two different showcases.
On Monday, they faced off against the host team of the tournament, Sterlington, La., in a battle of the undefeated sides left in the World Series.
The game started off well for the All-Stars. Noah Bass and Marshall Rumbold both got on base off walks in the first inning, leading to a two-run RBI (runs batted in) for Jase Woodard to put Duplin County up early at 2-0.
But Sterlington would not stay down for long. In the bottom of the first inning, with Davis Smith taking the mound to start the game for Duplin County, the host team got a hit on their first at-bat of the game, thanks to Cal Rollinson getting a single. After throwing Rollinson out on a steal attempt on the next at-bat, Sterlington scored their first run of the game, thanks to a single hit by Sterlington’s Rand Garvin on a line drive to make the score 2-1. Macon Williams was hit by a pitch by Smith, advancing him to first, which seconds later allowed Sterlington to tie the game at 2-2 off an RBI single from Joseph Bruscato. Duplin held on to record two more outs to ensure the game stayed tied at the end of the first.
In the second inning, Duplin wasn’t able to recapture the same offensive firepower. Aibel James, Smith, and Braylen Gomez all struck out in order, leaving a runner on base to end the top of the second.
At the bottom of the second, a double hit by Williams sent two runners home for Sterlington to give the host team a 4-2 lead over Duplin. Then, after an error advanced Bruscato and Williams to second and third base, respectively, another double hit by Rowen Johnson sent Williams home to add another run. In the next at-bat, another error was made on a ground ball that got both Bruscato and Johnson home to put the All-Stars in a 7-2 deficit, before Green hit a fly ball caught by Bass to end the inning.
Sterlington limited Duplin County to zero runs on three straight outs in the top of the third, before scoring four additional runs from double RBI’s from both Harper Mills and Johnson to take the lead to 11-2 at the end of the third inning.
Duplin managed to get one last runner on base, with Hampton Bass reaching first due after being hit by a pitch. At the next at-bat, Sterlington turned a double play off a hit from Tanner Serafini, throwing Bass out on the way to second and then Serafini at first. James was the third out for the All-Stars, striking out on strike three looking.
The host sealed the game via mercy rule at the top of the fourth, with a single RBI by Williams on a line drive to right field, scoring Rollinson, who was on base after being walked at the first at-bat.
The loss dropped Duplin County into a must-win game on Tuesday against Hartsville, SC. With their backs against the wall, the offense returned in droves.
In the first inning, after two outs and Hatch Becher being walked, Woodard brought him home on an RBI double hit to center field to help the All-Stars jump out to a quick 1-0 lead. Hampton added a single hit to left field to advance Woodard to third, before Noah brought Woodard home on a single of his own to double the lead. Hartsville committed an error on the next possession to bring in Noah and Henry Stevens (baserunning for Hampton) to end the top of the first inning at 4-0.
South Carolina wasn’t able to crack Duplin’s defense, as the All-Stars quickly put together three outs to end the inning. In the top of the second, they picked up where they left off.
Serafini was hit by a pitch in his at-bat, which automatically walked him to first. Then, in two attempts at Gomez’s at-bat, Serafini stole second and third base. This allowed Smith to get him home off of a ground ball that resulted in an out (for Smith), as the All-Stars led 5-0 before ending the top of the inning. Hartsville was held scoreless again for the second time.
Then, in the top of the third, mistakes continued to haunt SC. After Noah got on base from a single, an error on a fly ball hit by Dan Wilson brought him home, giving Duplin a 6-0 lead before a Serafini strikeout put them back on defense.
It was here that Hartsville was able to generate some offense, with two singles that cut Duplin’s lead to just five. Three straight recorded outs for SC put an end to that quickly, starting the fourth inning shortly afterwards.
Both teams were held in check in the fourth, but Duplin added two more runs in the fifth inning.
Another error from Hartsville, Hampton getting hit by a pitch, a single from Noah, and then a double hit by Wilson culminated in Stevens (pitch running for Woodard) and Hampton both scoring to extend the All-Stars’ lead to 8-1. Shutting down SC in the bottom of the fifth, Duplin put an exclamation point on their performance, with two more runs scored from an RBI Triple by Rumbold and an RBI single from Woodard that gave the All-Stars the win, 10-1.
Following the win over Hartsville, Duplin County now awaits results from Sterlington’s game against Hardee, Fla, on Tuesday. If Florida wins against Sterlington, Duplin and Florida would draw to see who gets a bye for the Championship game todayy. If the All-Stars don’t get the bye, they have to play against Sterlington a second time to determine who makes the Championship. If Sterlington defeats Hardee, then the host team will play against Duplin in the title game to crown the World Series winners.
Those results were not availabe by the Independent’s press deadline Tuesday.