Lyons 14U Boys Battle to Runner-Up Finish

The Lyons Recreation Department 14U Boys baseball team defended their home turf with grit at the Annual Lyons Youth Tournament, ultimately securing a second-place finish after a hard-fought championship clash against Long County. Playing from May 18 through May 21, the local boys showed resilience before falling just short in a tight 5-4 finale. vs. Reidsville

Lyons opened the tournament against Reidsville and wasted no time, erupting for nine runs in the top of the first inning. They added three more in the second to build a 12-0 advantage. After Reidsville managed two runs in the bottom of the frame, Lyons answered with four more in the third to close out a dominant 16-3 run-rule victory. vs. Appling Co.

The momentum carried right into their second matchup against Appling County. Lyons took an early lead with a run in the first and pushed it to 5-0 with a four-run second inning. Appling got on the board with two runs in the third, but Lyons immediately responded with three runs in the bottom half and three more in the fourth to extend their cushion to 11-2. Appling scored three late runs in the fifth, but Lyons walked away with an 11-5 run-rule win. vs. Long Co.

That victory moved Lyons into the winners' bracket semifinal against a tough Long County squad. Lyons struck first, taking a 4-0 lead with two runs in the first and second innings. Long County rallied, tying the game with four runs in the bottom of the second and taking a 7-4 lead with three more in the third. Lyons fought right back, reclaiming the lead in the top of the fourth with a four-run burst to make it 8-7. However, Long County managed two runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 9-8 lead and held on for the win. vs. Emanuel Co.

The narrow loss sent Lyons to the losers' bracket, where they faced Emanuel County for a shot at a championship rematch. Lyons took care of business early, scoring four runs in the top of the first. After Emanuel picked up a run in the second, Lyons broke the game open with four runs in the third to lead 8-1. They added three more in the fourth, coasting to an 11-3 victory and punching their ticket to the finals. vs. Long Co.

Championship

Coming out of the losers' bracket, Lyons faced the tall task of needing to beat Long County twice to claim the title. The championship game was a tense battle compared to their previous high-scoring shootout. Long County grabbed the early momentum with three runs in the bottom of the second. Lyons methodically chipped away, plating two runs in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to 3-2 before tying the game at 3-3 in the fifth.

Long County answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth to go back up 4-3, but Lyons showed their fight by tying it again at 4-4 in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the final frame, Long County managed to push across the deciding run to secure the 5-4 win and the tournament title, leaving the Lyons squad with a hard-earned second- place finish.