Area youth all-star baseball teams will start punching their tickets to the state tournament this week, as Dixie Youth Baseball district tournaments got underway Monday.
Things got started Monday with the District 8 O-Zone (11-12) Tournament, being played at Hilton Head’s Crossings Park.
Bluffton defeated Beaufort 3-0 in the first game of a three-team round-robin on Monday. Thomas Gilmore, Joseph Schoeder, and Miles Frye combined for a no-hitter to propel Bluffton as both teams struggled against strong pitching.
Hilton Head routed Beaufort 20-0 on Tuesday behind a perfect game from Connor Wiendl, who was backed by a grand slam from Steele Burd and a three-run blast from Jack Rohr.
Bluffton and Hilton Head square off at 7 p.m. Wednesday and will meet again at 6 p.m Thursday. If both teams have one loss after Thursday’s game, they will play again to determine which team will advance to the state tournament July 7-11 in Union.
The District 8 Machine Pitch (7-8) Tournament runs from Thursday through Sunday at Burton Wells Recreation Complex in Beaufort. Play opens Thursday night with Bluffton National versus Bluffton American and Hampton versus Beaufort at 6 p.m., followed by Hilton Head versus Ridgeland at 8 p.m. The double-elimination tournament continues Friday and Saturday with the championship scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday with the “if necessary” game to follow. The top two teams will advance to the state tournament July 7-9 in Clemson.
The District 8 Minors (9-10) Tournament is scheduled for June 20-24 in Walterboro. The district champion will advance to the state tournament July 14-18 in Moncks Corner.
Coaches may submit scores and stats from their games to lowcosports@gmail.com throughout the district and state tournaments.