Both Bluffton teams rolled to run-rule victories to open the Dixie Youth Baseball Minors (9-10) district tournament Thursday night at Oscar Frazier Park.
The host teams got off to a hot start, as Bluffton National opened the double-elimination tournament with a 12-2 victory over Beaufort and Bluffton American followed it up with an 11-1 win over Colleton County in the nightcap.
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Bluffton National jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the first and one in the second, then broke open a one-run game with four in the third and five in the fourth to invoke the 10-run rule. Declan Mitchell went 3-for-3 with two RBIs, and Russell Spencer was 2-for-3 with three runs driven in to lead Bluffton’s 11-hit attack. Joseph Poulin was 2-for-3 with an RBI triple and scored twice, and Brooks Bazemore was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Russell Cooler earned the win on the mound, allowing two unearned runs and two hits over 3 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and four walks, and Spencer struck out the only two batters he faced to finish it off. Marion Simmons had a single and an RBI to lead Beaufort’s offense.
Two pitchers combined on a no-hitter for Bluffton American, as starter Finn Boyles racked up eight strikeouts and worked around four walks in three scoreless innings, and Nic Farrugia struck out two and allowed one walk and one run in the fourth before the Bluffton squad erupted for nine runs in the bottom of the fourth to end it early on the 10-run rule.
Boyles also went 2-for-3 and scored twice from the leadoff spot, and Farrugia doubled and drove in two runs while scoring twice. Nicholas Carpenter added a triple and two runs, and Henry Numssen, Zach Szypczak, Charlie Nelson, and Trevor Wolfe each had an RBI single.
Beaufort will face Colleton County in an elimination game at 5:30 p.m. Friday, and Hilton Head will make its tournament debut against Bluffton National at 7:30 p.m.