West Chatham 8’s advance to NC Dixie League State Championships

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TROY — The West Chatham 8U All-Stars closed out a second place finish last week at the Dixie Youth League District 1 Tournament in Troy.

West Chatham moved to 3-1 in the tournament with an exciting 11-10 victory over North Stanly in walk off fashion.

The locals trailed 10-6 entering the bottom of the 6th before scoring five runs to take the win and avoid elimination. Jennings Russell doubled to get West Chatham going before Tanner Nall doubled, Harrison Baxter, Jackson Clark, Anderson Paige, Ridge Hicks and Byrson Green singled to cap off the torrid comeback.

North Stanly had jumped in front 4-0 in the top of the first before West Chatham countered with four runs sparked by base hits from Cooper Smith, Austin Morgan and Russell, a double from Baxter, and a single from Clark.

North Stanly scored a pair in the visiting half of the second before Hicks, Joshua Dean and Smith singled to close the gap to 6-5.

The teams traded runs in the third with singles from Morgan and Russell leading to the West Chatham score.

In the top of the 6th, North Stanly tallied three runs to send the visitors up 10-6, setting up the climatic ending.

Russell went 3-for-3 to pace West Chatham offensively in the win while Hicks, Paige, Clark, Baxter, Morgan and Smith all went 2-for-3.

West Chatham then faced South Stanly needing two wins to claim the District 1 title.

South Stanly, which had dealt West Chatham a 16-12 loss in third round action earlier in the tournament, proved to be too tough again in taking the District 1 title with a 7-2 triumph over the local bunch.

Singles by Russell Hinson and Levi Dennis and a double from Miles Guide sent South Stanly up 2-0 early before the victors added three more runs in the top of the second behind singles from Conner Bowles, Kortez Ingram and Charlie Mabry and doubles from Miles Griffin and Kinston Dockery.

Trailing 5-0, West Chatham got on the board with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame behind singles from Nall, Baxter and Clark and a double from Jameson Douglas.

South Stanly would answer with two more runs in the visiting half of the third behind singles form Dennis and Guide and a two-run double from Maverick Brown before cruising to the 7-2 victory.

Clark was 2-for-2 to pace West Chatham offensively while Smith added a 2-for-3 outing for the locals.

Dennis and Guide were each 3-for-3 for South Stanly in the win.

West Chatham will begin Dixie Youth League state tournament play on Saturday, June 29 down in Lakewood Folly.