[08/06/01] With a team name like “Dynamite,” it seemed to make sense that the Vicksburg squad was counting down to a Governor’s Cup title.

Third place as 10-year-olds; second place as 11-year-olds; then, finally, one big explosion of an inning as 12-year-olds that brought them their first tournament win.

Stanley Bufkin got the Dynamite’s first hit with a solo home run on the first pitch of the fourth inning, igniting a five-run rally that propelled the team to its first tournament title, 6-1 over West Monroe.

Nick Carson shut down West Monroe, throwing a one-hitter and striking out 12 in six innings.

“It feels great. It was a great team effort,” said Dynamite coach William “Boozer” Emerson. “We’ve only been in existence 2 1/2 years. They’ve come a long way, and to me they’re the best team around.”

For the first three innings, West Monroe pitcher C.C. Carpenter dominated the Dynamite. Gunning down batters with a 70 mph fastball, Carpenter struck out six of the first nine he faced and didn’t allow a baserunner. He also led off the second inning with a home run that gave West Monroe a 1-0 lead.

But then he grooved a fastball to Bufkin, which was promptly launched over the left-center field fence to tie the game.

“It just blew the roof off. After Stanley’s home run, everybody started hitting,” said the Dynamite’s Vernon Wolfe.

A walk to Brady Towne and a single by Eric Coleman were sandwiched around a strikeout, and Trey Robinson’s single over the glove of the second baseman drove in both runners to give the Dynamite a 3-1 lead. After Carson struck out, Wolfe blasted a homer to dead center to make it 5-1.

Tanner Woodson walked and scored on an RBI single by Stefan Gibbs in the bottom of the fifth to make it 6-1, but with the way Carson was pitching the extra run didn’t matter.

Carson struck out six in the last three innings and retired nine of the 10 batters he faced. He walked West Monroe’s Christopher Sinclair, but got the next batter to hit into a fielder’s choice and didn’t let the runner past first base.

“I wasn’t going to let them hit the ball,” Carson said.