The 11- and 12-year-old Kosciusko Dixie Youth baseball All-Star season ended with two losses at the state tournament after an opening game victory.
Kosciusko began the double-elimination tournament at the Lincoln County Convention Center and Sports Complex with a 9-3 defeat of Laurel, before losing to Columbia 11-3 and Cleveland 5-4.
“The kids played their tails off,” coach Jonathan Powers said. “I’m proud of them. They had a great attitude. They fought to the last out.
“At the end of the day, our downfall was that we just didn’t hit enough.”
The team also suffered two bad breaks—literally.
Kosciusko was leading Columbia 3-1 in the second inning, when starting pitcher Braxton Rone left the game after suffering a broken nose. Rone covered home plate on a passed ball, when a throw from the catcher bounced off of his glove and hit him in the nose.
“It was a big deal, he had to go to the hospital,” Powers said. “From there we got a little disorganized.”
Rone returned to support the team from the bench.
Broken bone number two occurred when a runner slid into Kaden Adams, who was covering third base. Powers said the foot was taped and he played on.
“But, it clearly hurt him,” the coach said. “(It was) a perfectly legal slide. Just a tough day for us.”
Wes Bishop, Braden Allen and Landon Wallace led a 12-hit attack against Laurel. Bishop was 3-for-3 with a double, two singles, two RBIs and three runs scored. Allen drove in four runs with a home run and a single. Wallace singled twice and drew a walk, stole three bases, scored three times and drove in a run.
The loss to Cleveland completed the Dixie Youth careers for seven Kosciusko players: Adams, Allen, Bishop, Ryan Burrell, Gabe Cain, Rone and Wallace. The other members of this year’s team: Brayden Hill, Andrew Mancell, Bailey Powers, Cooper Stevens and Ryan Tillman.
Powers praised Kosciusko fans who made the trip to Brookhaven to support the team.
“Our side of the fence was full and very supportive of the team,” he said.
Kosciusko qualified for the 12-team state tournament by winning four straight games in the district tournament, which was held in Philadelphia. There, they defeated Philadelphia 2-1 and 14-7, West Lauderdale 16-0 and Yazoo City 15-2.
