Red Sox 10-year-olds’ team scheduled for afternoon tilt

All phases of the game clicked for the Vicksburg Red Sox Sunday in the third round of the Cal Ripken 10-year-olds’ state tournament.

The Red Sox battered the Meridian All-Stars 13-3 to move into the fourth round winners’ bracket against Bay St. Louis today at 1 p.m. at Halls Ferry Park.

Red Sox coach Bo Magoun says Bay St. Louis will be a familiar foe.

&#8220We’ve got a big ballgame now against Bay St. Louis, the defending state champs (2006 Ripken 9-year-olds). We respect them. They have a team that always seems to be there in this kind of game. They’re good people, with good coaches and good players,” Magoun said.

The two teams met last year for the final time in the Southwest Regional in Arkansas with Bay St. Louis pulling out a 2-1 decision.

Vicksburg, though, is playing well on its home turf. Pitcher Derek Dolan won his third game of the tournament and also got solid relief help from Ben Welp.

&#8220Derek has thrown really well in the tournament and Ben has become a guy I can depend on. He throws strikes,” Magoun said.

The Red Sox (34-13) took control early with five runs in the first inning. Drake Dorbeck had the key hit with a triple down the right field line to score Lee Middleton and Jacob Breeden.

Dolan later helped his cause with an RBI single in the second and two more in the fourth to hand the Red Sox an 8-2 lead. A two-run hit by Connor Smith, also in the fourth, made it 10-2.

&#8220Our bats are hot and when we hit the baseball, we’re one of the best teams in the state,” Magoun added.

The Red Sox were strong defensively, making seven proper plays on fielder’s choices which kept Meridian from mounting any comeback. They finished with just one error, that coming on a tough play in the sixth inning.

&#8220They are a real solid ball club,” Meridian coach Kerry Whitehead said. &#8220They are a quality opponent and the best we’ve seen so far.”

Meridian was hurt by six errors and eight walks. They did have eight hits with Nick Perry going 3-for-4 while Christopher Waldron had two hits, including a two-run single in the first that made it 5-2.

Dolan finished with two hits and drove in three runs while Zack Cox had two hits and Lee Middleton scored three runs.

Bay St. Louis 5, Corinth 2

Doubles by Ryan Pitalo and Jonathan Artigues keyed a four-run first inning to send the Bay St. Louis Waves into a fourth-round showdown with the Vicksburg Red Sox.

The RBI doubles erased a 1-0 Corinth lead and that was enough for pitchers Patrick McRaney and Noah Nicaud. The pair split three innings of work each and combined on five strikeouts.

Nicaud paced the Waves’ offense with two hits and two runs scored, including a run in the third that made it 5-2.

Elijah Potts had two hits for Corinth.

GC 12, Orange Grove 11

The game of the day saw George County’s Blake Fields score the eventual winning run in the top of the seventh to keep his team alive.

Duston Williams pitched a scoreless seventh to gain the save.

George County 8, Crestwood 6

Tanner Huddleston went 4-for-4 to lead George County past Crestwood in a second elimination game Sunday afternoon. One of Huddleston’s hits was a double and he also scored twice.

Venom 9-year-olds’ all-stars one win from championship

After finishing second last year, the Vicksburg Venom 9-year-olds’ all-star team advanced Sunday to the championship game of the Cal Ripken State Tournament at Brandon with an 11-5 win over the Long Beach Tide.

Brooks Boolos went 3-for-3 and John Austin Burris had two singles for the Venom.

Lefty Tyler Smith tossed a complete game, allowing five runs on seven hits. He struck out six.

In the sixth inning, Long Beach coaches protested the game because they said Vicksburg coaches’ uniform numbers were the same as the players, but the rule was resolved and the protest will not continue.

Long Beach fell to the losers’ bracket and will play this afternoon. The Venom must be beaten twice tonight and can finish no worse than second.

The Venom advanced automatically to the Cal Ripken Southwest Regional in Crossett, Ark. They played in last year’s regional as well, finishing 4-2.