Bluffton American’s 8U contingent ended its 2021 Dixie Youth Baseball AA Coach Pitch state tournament run on Sunday, earning a 17-7 run-rule win over North Myrtle Beach before falling 12-5 to McLeod Park at the Orangeburg Recreation Park.
The Lowcountry squad got the offense sizzling early in game one, plating six runs in the bottom of the first to grab a 6-2 advantage. A three-run third inning extended the lead to 9-3, but a late North Myrtle Beach rally in the fourth and fifth frames trimmed the advantage to just a pair. After a leadoff single to start the Bluffton half of the fifth, Kellen Bruegger belted his second inside-the-park home run of the tournament before Caleb Schultz knocked a round-tripper of his own to balloon the lead to 16-7. With two outs and a chance to clinch the victory, Wyatt Beach delivered, ripping a double into center field to score the game-ending run.
YOUTH BASEBALL COVERAGE PRESENTED BY
Bluffton American’s offense collected 23 hits in the contest, as Adam Amarino, Jaxon Sanofsky, Napp Yelton, and Owen Beckmann all racked up three hits apiece. Bruegger continued his outstanding weekend in Orangeburg, going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs, while Schultz added a homer and drove in three.
Looking for a second straight win to push its tournament run to Monday, Bluffton American grabbed an early 1-0 lead over McLeod Park with an Elijah Christian line drive to center field. Beckmann tacked on another in the fourth with a single down the third-base line, but McLeod Park’s offense exploded for 10 runs in the bottom half to take command of the ballgame. Bluffton American kept battling in the fifth, sending three runs across the plate highlighted by an Austin Mayles triple. A pair of McLeod Park runs in the bottom half extended the lead to seven, and Bluffton American went down quietly in the sixth to end the game.
Mayles paced the offense from the leadoff spot, going 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI. Amarino, Christian, and Beckmann all added a pair of hits and drove in a run, while Mavric Harpham tallied a hit and an RBI.
By Wes Kerr
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