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Published: Wednesday, Jul. 15, 2009 / Updated: Wednesday, Jul. 15, 2009 05:07 PM

Comebacks spark Fort Mill to 3rd place in Dixie tournament

GREAT FALLS -- 

All-Stars representing the Leroy Springs Complex in Fort Mill overcame multiple challenges on the way to a third-place finish in the highly competitive Dixie Youth Baseball AAA Region I Sub District 9-10 Year-Old Baseball Tournament last week.

The 2009 Leroy Springs Complex Fort Mill All-Star Team was made up of the top 12 players selected from the five baseball teams comprising the spring Dixie Youth Baseball League in Fort Mill. Players selected from the Leroy Springs Complex league tournament champion Dodgers were catcher Greg Izzo, ace pitcher Jake Norwood and shortstop Dylan Sweatt. Two players brought in from the Marlins were second baseman Justin Jones and catcher Steven Thompson. Representing the Pirates was shortstop and pitcher Cameron Clark. Players from the LSC tournament runner-up Red Sox were pitcher and first baseman Bryce Cook, catcher Jacob Hunter and pitcher Cade Kearns. Rounding out the All-Star team on behalf of the Royals were first baseman and left fielder Benjamin “B.J.” Brock, ace pitcher and third baseman Cole Perkins and catcher Ben Pracht. The All-Star team was led by Red Sox manager George Hunter.

Daily practice for the All-Star tournament started immediately following the regular season ending in early June. Enduring extreme heat and long workouts, these 12 players came together to form a cohesive unit in three short weeks to form a very good baseball team. Their individual hard work and dedication to the game of baseball was displayed throughout the tournament.

In the first game against tournament favorite Lockhart, the Fort Mill All-Stars put up a great fight with a formidable pitching duel between ace Jake Norwood and the pitcher from Lockhart. Despite extra base hits from Norwood, Izzo, Hunter, Perkins and Pracht, a five-run burst by Lockhart in the third inning proved too much to over come and the Fort Mill lost 11-7. With their backs against the wall in the double elimination tournament, Fort Mill's All-Stars turned into a scoring machine.

In elimination game two, Fort Mill fought its way back against host Great Falls after falling behind by six runs, 8-2, in the bottom of the fourth inning. Fort Mill opened the flood gates with a 14-run inning led by Hunter of the Red Sox. He initiated the rally with a line-drive single in the gap past the third baseman. Next up was Thompson, who battled a 0-2 count to foul off four more pitches and then earned an eventual base on balls to put a runner on first and second. Next up, Pracht, of the Royals, hit a single to left field driving in the first two runs of the eventual 14 run rally. Next up was Cook with a line-drive RBI to left field followed with a single and three stolen bases by Jones. Norwood then chimed in with a triple.

More big hits followed to cap the inning. After Fort Mill sent 19 batters to the plate in the fourth, Great Falls had to face Kearns in relief. Kearns fanned five of the last seven Great Falls batters he faced with his fastball and change-up to secure a 16-10 win for the Fort Mill All-Stars.

The next do-or-die game was against South Spartanburg. After being down 11-8 in the bottom of the sixth and final inning, the players from Fort Mill came out swinging. Perkins led off with a line drive to deep left field. Coach Hunter put in Brock with his speed to pinch run for Cole. Clark came to the plate and was hit by a pitch. With two men on base, Jacob Hunter came to the plate and reached base with a single. With the bases loaded and down by three runs, Thompson came to the plate and hit a liner past the shortstop to drive in the first of the needed comeback runs.

Next up was Pracht, who drew a walk. With the bases loaded and no outs, Cook stepped up to the plate. On the first pitch, Bryce hit a deep line drive shot to left field resulting with a walk-off RBI that drove in Thompson with the game-winning run. Pandemonium swept the field as the Fort Mill teammates and coaches swarmed the field to celebrate the come-from-behind win. Ecstatic, the team huddled near home plate and chanted, “Fort Mill, Fort Mill, Fort Mill!”

With Great Falls and South Spartanburg sent home, Lewisville was the next team in the way of Fort Mill's chase to the championship. Relying on the strong arm of Norwood, Fort Mill played a great opening inning. Norwood stuck out the first batter with three pitches. The next batter reached base on a walk but was immediately caught stealing after a perfect throw from Pracht.

The next batter was thrown out with a great fielding play and throw from the shortstop, Izzo, for a three-up-three-down opening inning.

Later in the game and down two to nothing in the top of the third inning, Brock hit a single and with his speed beat out the throw from the pitcher to the first baseman. With two stolen Brock made it to third base and was able to make it home on an RBI single from Jones, which put Fort Mill within a run at 2-1. In the fourth inning, Izzo, with two stolen bases, was able to make it to third base after gaining a walk from the Lewisville pitcher.

In the top of the sixth and final inning, Fort Mill was down 6-2, managed to close the gap to 6-4, but could not muster any more runs against a tough Lewisville reliever.