Colleton County and host Hilton Head advanced in the winner’s bracket on the first day of the Dixie Youth Baseball O-Zone (11-12) district tournament Friday night at The Crossings Park on Hilton Head Island.
Colleton took advantage of eight walks and three hit-by-pitches and used timely hitting and aggressive baserunning to beat Bluffton 10-3 in the tournament opener, while Hilton Head posted a dominant 15-0 win over Beaufort in the nightcap.
YOUTH BASEBALL COVERAGE PRESENTED BY
Charlie Walker had a huge night for Colleton, going 2-for-2 with a triple, a homer, and two RBIs, while William Norris was 1-for-2 with three RBIs, and Jayden Randolph added an RBI double.
Michael O’Connell and Isaac Roman each had two hits for Bluffton, and Johnny Schneider doubled and drove in two runs.
Hilton Head was in command from the start in the second game of the night, as Phoenix Shapiro struck out five of the six batters he faced in two perfect innings and Alan Wolf struck out two and walked one in the third to finish off an abbreviated no-hitter.
The host team plated six runs in the first and racked up nine in the second to invoke the run-rule after 2 1/2 innings.
Wolf singled, walked, and scored twice while driving in two runs to lead a balanced Hilton Head offense.
Beaufort and Bluffton will play an elimination game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by a matchup between Colleton and Hilton Head with a spot in the championship game on the line.
