If their playoff weekend opener is any indication, The Putnam County Dixie Youth boys of summer may be on the start of a big roll.
Made up of 12 players voted on by the coaches of five local teams to make up the all-star county team, the Putnam 9-and-10-year-old crew fell behind their Morgan County opponents 2-0 in the first inning of their Thursday-night opener. However, by the fourth of a scheduled six innings, their bats came alive, eventually driving in 16 runs while Morgan managed just one more.
“I knew we had a good chance to win, but it definitely didn’t end the way I thought it was going to,” Putnam head coach Grayson Huskins admitted. “We just kept playing good defense and battling back and then (Morgan) got to throwing the ball around a little bit towards the end. You know, we probably shouldn’t have scored 16, but that’s the way the game of baseball goes sometimes.”
Hosted throughout the weekend at the Putnam County Recreation fields, the Dixie Youth Baseball tournament also included Greene, Washington and Jasper counties. Following a double-loss eliminations format, Putnam went undefeated with a 13-3 victory over Washington and a 7-6 win in a rematch with Morgan in Friday’s action.
That left only the championship game and yet another meeting with the Morgan team, with a 6-5 decision again going in Putnam’s favor.
Both Putnam and Morgan emerged as finalists heading to Wrens July 7-10 for the state championship and a chance to advance to the Dixie Youth World Series Aug. 5-11, in Lumberton, N.C. The Putnam 11-12 all-star team already clinched a trip to its state tourney July 14-17, in nearby Madison.
Putnam has reached the Dixie Youth World Series a couple of times before, Putnam County Recreation Director Scott Haley said. He also stressed the county-subsidized recreation center also offers football, basketball, baseball, cheerleading, and soccer programs, among other sports and activities.
“We’re doing a lot with pickle ball and we have adult softball now, too. So we’re trying to branch out to a good many sports,” he said. “We’re growing. I mean, we’re getting a good turnout and we’re excited about the future out here. I think some more good things are coming, too.”