West Ashley 9U All-stars crowned state champs

CHARLESTON - The 9U All-stars from West Ashley are the Cal Ripken Youth Baseball S.C. State Champions after defeating a tough North Augusta team at St. Andrews Parks Monday night.

The lead in the 10-9 game seesawed back and forth throughout, and in the end it was the pitching that made the difference.

West Ashley jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but North Augusta answered with 3 runs in the second. West Ashley added another run in its half of the second to knot the score at 3-3.

North Augusta took the lead again in the third, adding another 2 runs to its total, and held the West Ashley team scorless in the bottom of the inning. However West Ashley returned the favor in the top of the fourth, and then broke the game open, putting 5 runs on the board.

North Augusta wouldn't give up though. The team plated 4 more runs in the fifth to retake the lead. But North Augusta's pitching, which had been shaky at points throughout the game fell apart in the bottom of the fifth, giving up three walks in the inning and hitting a batter. A wild pitch led to West Ashley's go-ahead run.

West Ashley wasn't without it's mistakes either, allowing runs to score early in the game in similar fashion, but when it counted in the top of the sixth, relief pitcher Bryce Brown shut down North Augusta's bats.

The first batter of the inning sent a grounder right back at him, and Brown tossed it to first for the easy out. The second North Augusta hitter drilled a low line drive just left of Brown, but Brown snagged it before it hit the ground for the second out. He struck out the final batter he faced to seal the 10-9 West Ashley win.

Both teams will advance to the Cal Ripken Youth Baseball Regional Championships beginning July 21, in Startown, N.C.