Southern Rebels center fielder Delmon Robinson, a Vicksburg High rising freshman, is hit with a pitch during the team’s 12-5 win on Saturday. (Sam Freeman The Vicksburg Post)

[7/25/04]Delmon Robinson and Chris Whittington, both of Vicksburg, lifted the Southern Rebels of Louisiana to the top seed in the 14-year-olds’ Governor’s Cup elimination round with a convincing 12-5 win over Franklin County.

Robinson, a rising Vicksburg High freshman and son of VHS basketball coach Dellie Robinson, hit two singles and a double and drove in three runs for the West Monroe-based team that featured four players from Vicksburg.

Whittington, a Warren Central freshman, had an RBI, but came on in relief to retire all six Franklin County players he faced to secure the victory. Heath Carroll, another Warren Central player, hit two singles and had an RBI for the Rebels.

The win sends the Rebels into today’s final round as the No. 1 seed. They will play the Alpha A’s, a team sponsored by the Alpha Kappa Alpha fraternity from Alcorn State.

The Alpha A’s went 0-3 in pool play and the Rebels, Franklin and Ridgeland all finished 1-1. The Rebels were awarded the top seed because of a run differential.

Robinson led off the game by being hit by a pitch, then stole second and moved to third on a single. He scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead. Zack Polzin of Northwest Rankin then hit an RBI double for a 2-0 lead.

Franklin came back with a three-run home run in the bottom of the inning by Jacob Dunn, but the Rebels responded with four in the second. Robinson’s two-RBI single highlighted the outburst.

The Rebels added one run in each of the third and fourth innings, then put the game away with a four-run rally in the fifth.

Robinson’s RBI double in the fifth helped the Rebels build a 12-5 lead.

Whittington retired the final six batters he faced and struck out one.

The Rebels ended the game with 14 hits and took advantage of four Franklin errors.

Ridgeland 8, So. Rebels 7

[7/24/04]Cameron Kisner delivered a game-winning, two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning to give Ridgeland a first-round win in the 14-year-olds’ bracket.

Ridgeland trailed 7-5 before the game was delayed by rain in the top of the sixth. When play resumed, the Titans rallied for the win.

Casey Lavender went 2-for-3 with a solo homer for Ridgeland.

Austin Wise homered for the Southern Rebels. Vicksburg residents Heath Carroll and Chris Whittington each had a hit for the Rebels, and Whittington and Delmon Robinson scored a run apiece.