By T. Scott Boatright
First there were three, now there are two.
Two Ruston All-Star teams remain in contention as the Dixie Youth Baseball 2023 tournaments move into Day 4 today at the Ruston Sports Complex.
Ruston’s 12u “Q” Zone All-Stars were knocked out of their tournament on Sunday, falling to Alabama on Saturday before losing to Bossier City in an elimination game on Sunday.
But Ruston’s 12u Majors All-Stars remain alive at 1-1 in double-elimination bracket play.
After losing to Louisiana 3-1 on Saturday morning, the Ruston 12u Majors teams responded with a 4-3 win in an elimination game on Sunday afternoon.
12u majors coach Patrick Ramsey said his team is next slated to face Gonzalez (La.) at 9 a.m. today.
It’s Ruston’s 10u AAA All-Stars that are on fire so far through Dixie World Series play.
The Ruston 10u All-Stars are 3-0 in World Series play and will play against the winner of a Florida vs. Virginia game at 6:15 tonight.
Ruston’s AAA All-Stars opened the World Series with a 8-2 win over Mississippi on Friday before defeating Texas 3-2 on Sunday.
Then the Ruston AAA All-Star teams’ pitching and defensive domination continued on Sunday with a 11-1 win over Alabama.
“Pitching and defense have carried us and the bats are starting to come along,” said Ruston AAA coach Cody Channell. “The pitching combination of Brantlee Doolittle, Lucas Shaw and Cooper Stoehr has given us a chance in each game and they have been incredible.
“We couldn’t be more proud of our boys, and they are playing with a lot of energy. That’s been our boys ‘go to’ saying. The local support has been special, and it is giving us momentum. We would love for everybody to come watch us (tonight) at 6:15.”
