The Dixie Softball state tournaments began over the weekend in Florence and Hartsville, with teams from Dillon and Latta participating.
The Ponytails, Belles, and Debs division games are all being played at Freedom Florence, while the Angels and Darlings games are being held in Hartsville. Opening ceremonies were held at both stadiums on Friday, July 8.
In the Dixie Ponytails division (ages 11–12), Dillon started the tournament with a 4-1 win over Jefferson on Saturday, but Sunday saw them fall to Starr-iva 3-0. On Monday they took on Lake Marion for a 15-1 win.
Also on Saturday, Florence defeated Boiling Springs 11-0; Starr-iva defeated Georgetown 5-1; and Hanahan defeated Lake Marion 10-1. Sunday’s games saw Georgetown defeated Jefferson 11-3; Hanahan defeated Florence 6-3, and Lake Marion defeated Boiling Springs. On Monday, Florence eliminated Georgetown 3-0, and Starr-iva defeated Hanahan.
On Tuesday, Dillon defeated Hanahan and Florence took on Starr-iva. Dillon will play the winner of the Florence-Starr-iva game in Wednesday’s championship match.
In the Dixie Belles division (ages 13–15), Dillon defeated Batesburg-Leesville 15-3 on Saturday and followed up with an 11-7 victory over Georgetown on Sunday. They defeated Sumter on Monday to go on to face Florence on Tuesday evening for another victory.
In Saturday’s other games, Georgetown defeated Union 15-4; Sumter defeated Hanahan 15-0; and Florence defeated Barnwell 16-1. In Sunday’s games, Union eliminated Batesburg-Leesville 10-0; Barnwell eliminated Hanahan 8-2; and Sumter defeated Florence. On Monday, Florence eliminated Union 12-6, and Georgetown eliminated Barnwell 15-10.
Georgetown defeated Sumter on Tuesday, setting up a Dillon-Georgetown showdown for the championship on Wednesday. Georgetown will have to beat the undefeated Dillon Belles twice in order to claim the state title.
In the Dixie Debs division (ages 16–18), Latta defeated Union 16-5 on Saturday before falling to Clarendon County on Sunday. On Monday, the Latta Debs were eliminated by Georgetown with an 11-7 loss.
Saturday’s other Debs games included Clarendon County’s 12-2 win over Lewisville; Pee Dee’s 2-0 win over Georgetown; and Turbeville’s 3-2 victory over Florence. Union eliminated Lewisville 8-7 on Sunday and Georgetown eliminated florence 4-2. Pee Dee defeated Turbeville 11-8. Monday saw Turbeville shut out Union 13-0, while Clarendon County defeated Pee Dee.
Georgetown took on Pee Dee Tuesday and Turbeville took on Clarendon County to determine the match-up for Wednesday’s championship game.
Meanwhile in Hartsville’s Byerly Park, the Dixie Angels division (ages 9–10) saw three shut outs as Andrews defeated Boiling Springs 16-0, Barnwell defeated Sumter 1-0, and Hartsville defeated Lancaster 8-0. But Wallhala and Hanahan battled out a tough 14-13 game with Wallhala claiming the win.
In Sunday’s games, Andrews defeated Barnwell 3-2 and Hannah eliminated Lancaster 5-2. Sumter eliminated Boiling Springs 13-1, and Hartsville defeated Walhalla 13-0 in a 3 inning shut out.
Monday saw Sumter shut out Walhalla 10-0 and Barnwell eliminate Hanahan 10-5. Hartsville defeated Andrews 6-5, with both moving on to lay Tuesday, when Barnwell defeated Andrews 3-2 and Hartsville defeated Sumter 4-1. Barnwell and Hartsville where scheduled to clash for the championship title on Wednesday.
In the Dixie Darlings division (ages 7–8), Dentsville claimed a 16-15 win over Florence; Hanahan defeated Aynor 14-3; Union defeated Iva 17-6; and Hartsville defeated Boiling Springs 8-5. On Sunday, Hanahan defeated Dentsville 9-4; Boiling Springs defeated Union 19-16; Florence defeated Aynor 17-6: and Hartsville defeated IVA 17-6.
Monday’s Darlings match-ups saw some high-scoring games, with Florence defeating Union 19-8, Dentsville defeating Hartsville 18-7, and Hanahan defeating Boiling Springs 22-2. Tuesday’s games were more evenly matched with Hanahan claiming a 15-12 victory over Florence and Dentsville defeating Boiling Springs 9-5.
Hanahan was scheduled to face Dentsville in the championship game on Wednesday.
