by Malcolm Butler
One of the local Boys of Summer teams — the Ruston 11u Dixie Youth Boys All-Stars — ended their impressive run at the Regional World Series this past weekend in Laurel, Mississippi.
After capturing the district and state titles to earn a berth in the World Series, the Ruston 11u boys posted a 1-3 record, including a thrilling 4-3 win over Dothan (Ala) Ozone Rookie All-Stars.
“I couldn’t be prouder of all the hard work these young men put in this summer,” said Coach John Robert Smith. “They pushed themselves and each other to get better with every rep. The World Series didn’t end with the results in our favor, but the boys competed and left it all on the field.”
The weekend started with a 7-3 loss to the Prattville (Ala.) Ozone All-Stars. Ruston fell behind 7-1 after two innings and never could catch up despite a two-run home run by Blaze O’Brien in the top of the third inning.
After falling 8-0 to George County (Miss.) All-Stars in the second game of the tournament, Ruston responded with a walk-off 4-3 win over Dothan. With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the final inning, Jayceon Holmes singled home the game-winning run to give the Ruston boys the victory.
Bear Brasher, Blake Waits, Tripp McBride, Jayceon Holmes, and Levi Newsom each collected one hit for Ruston in the win.
Ruston’s tournament then came to a close with a 12-2 loss to Troy (Ala.) Ozone All-Stars.
“I’m very thankful for our other two coaches, Turner Brasher and Ryan McCormick, as well as all our families and fans that came along for the ride,” said Smith. “BIG RUSTON definitely showed up in Laurel, Mississippi.”
Ruston won both the District 4 title and the Louisiana State title this summer.
They were coached by John Robert Smith, Turner Brasher and Ryan McCormick. The Ruston All-Stars included #00 Jack Ketchum, #1 Blake Waits, #3 Bear Brasher, #5 Huxton Morris, #8 Levi Newsom, #10 Roe Smith, #12 Keller McCormick, #16 Tripp McBride, #18 Landin Stringfellow, #21 Jayceon Holmes, #23 Blaze O’Brien, and #42 Carter May.
