Bluffton American pulled off another late-inning comeback leading to an extra-innings victory to stay undefeated in the Dixie Youth Baseball AA Coach Pitch (7-8) district tournament Thursday in Walterboro.
After erasing a six-run deficit in a comeback win over Hilton Head a day earlier, Bluffton American scored five runs in the fifth and five more in the sixth to climb out of an eight-run hole and rally for an 18-17 victory over host Colleton County, and Hilton Head stayed alive with a hard-fought 4-3 win over Bluffton National in an elimination game.
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Five players recorded four hits each for Bluffton American, as Napp Yelton and Owen Beckmann each went 4-for-5 with four RBIs, Elijah Christian was 4-for-5 and scored four times, Caleb Schultz was 4-for-5 with two RBIs, and Austin Mayles went 4-for-5 and scored three runs. Kellen Bruegger was 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs, and Bryce Thornton added three hits and two RBIs.
Colleton’s Jeremy Romanelli went 4-for-4 with three triples and two RBIs, CJ Hiers was 3-for-4 with three RBIs, Mason Walling had three hits and drove in two runs, and Grady Williams and Zachary Martin added three hits each for the host team.
Bluffton National also rallied late, tying Hilton Head with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth before Hilton Head walked off with a 4-3 victory on a game-winning RBI triples from Quinton Lopes in a thrilling elimination game. Noah Dorschimer and Connal Rooney each had three hits and Rooney drove in a pair of runs to lead Hilton Head at the plate. Cooper Pernice and Brady Shroyer each added two hits for Hilton Head.
Silas Graves and Lukas McKenzie each had two hits and Hayden Waller added an RBI single for Bluffton National.
Bluffton American and Colleton will square off again at 6 p.m. Monday. If Bluffton American prevails for a second time, it will advance to the championship game against Hilton Head. If Colleton salvages a split, the teams will draw for a bye into the championship round and the other squad will face Hilton Head with a spot in the title game on the line.