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Dixie Belles State Softball Tournament Underway in Dillon

July 17, 2012

By Chris Chestnut

Georgetown’s #21 Brooks Cribb slides for third but Clarendon County’s #12 Malloree Cothran makes the catch for the out. (Photos by Johnnie Daniels/THE DILLON HERALD.)

The Dixie Belles state softball tournament kicked off in Dillon this weekend with Dillon, Clarendon, Georgetown, and Edisto advancing to the semi-finals.

The festivities began with a reception at the Dillon Wellness Center on Friday night where the participating teams – Dillon, Walhalla, Hanahan, Florence, Georgetown, Chester, Edisto, and Clarendon County – had a chance to relax before the start of the tournament. The evening included a musical performance from Jackie Lockamy, greetings from Mayor Todd Davis and Dillon Recreation’s Glen Wagner, and food provided by sponsor Zaxby’s with mascot Little Zack on hand to entertain.

Michele Miller

National Director Ralph Hensen spoke about the Dixie Softball program and Michele Miller was the guest speaker for the evening. Both Michele and her sister, Chessie, were standout softball players for Lake View. Michele attended Columbia College on a softball scholarship and will begin her senior year this fall.

The double-elimination tournament began Saturday morning Florence taking on Hanahan and Georgetown facing Clarendon County. Georgetown had a 5-1 lead by the end of the fourth, but despite rallies from both teams, neither could score in the remaining innings to leave Georgetown with the win.

Dixie Softball National Director Ralph Hensen

Florence and Hanahan were tied 1-1 after two innings, but Hanahan’s Ashley Oglesby hit a hard grounder by first to pick up an RBI in the top of the third to give Hanahan a 2-1 win.

At noon, Chester faced Edisto and Dillon took on Walhalla. Dillon jumped out to a 6-0 lead by the end of the second and would seal the shut out at 16-0.

Edisto led Chester 3-2 at the top of the third and had widened the lead to 6-2 by the end of the inning, but Chester rallied in the second half of the game for a 10-7 come-from-behind win.

Florence’s #55 Chastity Drummond narrowly beats the ball to first as Hanahan’s #14 Lyana Sully makes the catch.

Saturday evening saw all eight teams in action once again as Georgetown shut out Hanahan 11-0 and Dillon downed Chester 10-1 in the winners’ bracket. In the elimination bracket, Clarendon County picked up a 9-2 win over Florence to stay alive in the tournament, and Edisto defeated Walhalla 16-4.

Sunday saw more eliminations as Clarendon County defeated Chester 5-1 and Edisto took down Hanahan 16-2 in the early afternoon. Later in the day, Dillon faced Georgetown in the winners’ bracket and came away with an 8-3 win.

On Monday, Dillon was scheduled to face Clarendon County, while Georgetown was scheduled to face Edisto. The winners from both games are scheduled to face off today at 11:00 a.m., with a second game to follow if necessary.

UPDATE: Dillon defeated Clarendon County 13-2 on Monday night and Edisto defeated Georgetown 8-5. Dillon will face Edisto today at 11 a.m. for the state title.

(Photos by Johnnie Daniels/THE DILLON HERALD. Click the images below to view at full size!)