ELIZABETHTOWN – Ayden Hammond scattered 7 hits and struck out 9 as West Robeson defeated Elizabethtown 6-2 Saturday in the North Carolina Division 1 Dixie Youth Baseball Majors State Tournament Championship Game.
West Robeson advances to the Dixie Youth Majors World Series in Laurel, Mississippi. Elizabethtown finishes as Dixie Youth Majors State Runners-Up.
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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
Wyatt McMillan led off the West Robeson 1st inning with a double to right field. Joseden Oxendine rapped a single to center field that scored McMillan. One out later Kendon Hunt knocked in Oxendine with a double.
Elizabethtown tied the game with 2 runs in the 2nd inning. Jayce Hatcher lined a single to left, advanced on a pair of passed balls and scored on Tyler Eason’s single. Eason advanced on a throwing error and dashed home on a wild pitch. Easton Bostic slapped a single to shortstop, and Jaxon Hair walked but were left on base.
West Robeson took a 3-2 lead in the 3rd inning as McMillan reached base on an error and raced home on Oxendine’s double.
Two walks and 2 Elizabethtown errors led to 3 more West Robeson runs in the 4th inning and stretched their lead to 6-2.
Elizabethtown outhit West Robeson 7-5 but stranded 10 runners on base. Elizabethtown left 2 runners on base in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings and left the bases loaded in the 6th inning.
Hatcher batted 2-for-3 with a run scored for Elizabethtown. Tatum also finished 2-3 at the plate. Teammates Eason, Cam Byers and Bostic added 1 hit each. Eason also drove in a run.
Oxendine batted 2-3 with a double and 2 runs batted in to lead West Robeson at the plate. McMillan doubled and scored twice, and Hunt doubled home a run.
Tatum started and worked 3 innings on the mound for Elizabethtown allowing 4 runs on 4 hits and a walk while striking out five. Eason worked 0.1 innings of relief and gave up 2 runs on 2 walks while striking out one. Bostic struck out 3 in his 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.
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