8U LRD Girls Win Lyons Youth Tournament
The Lyons Recreation Department wrapped up the Annual Lyons Youth Tournament last week. The 8U girls division took the field from May 26 through June 1, ending with the host team from Lyons rolling to a championship title. Vidalia also fielded two teams in the bracket, with Vidalia Black finishing fifth overall and Vidalia Maroon taking last place.
VRD Maroon vs. Candler Vidalia Maroon struggled to find their footing in the opening game of the tournament against Candler County. Candler's offense proved difficult to keep pace with, and Vidalia Maroon dropped the contest 24-10.
LRD vs. Soperton
Lyons began their title march against Soperton. The host team took an early lead with three runs in the top of the first inning and added one more in the second to go up 4-0. Soperton managed two runs in the bottom of the third, but Lyons steadily pulled away, putting up four runs in the fourth and five in the fifth to stretch the lead to 13-2.
Soperton pushed three runs across in the bottom of the fifth, but Lyons had plenty of cushion to secure the 13-5 victory.
VRD Black vs. Glennville Vidalia Black opened their tournament with a high-scoring win over Glennville. The teams were tied 4-4 after the first inning before Vidalia Black took a 7-4 lead in the second.
Glennville narrowed the gap to a single run in the bottom of the frame, but Vidalia kept the pressure on, adding two runs in the third and three in the fourth to build a 12-6 advantage. After Glennville plated four runs to make it 12-10, Vidalia Black broke the game open with a 12-run fifth inning to walk away with a 24-10 win.
LRD vs. Long Co.
Up next for Lyons was Long County, and the host team made quick work of their opponent. Long County managed a single run in the top of the first inning, but Lyons immediately answered with a 15run outburst in the bottom half of the frame.
The Lyons offense, which racked up 20 hits in the game, tacked on five more runs in the second inning to secure a dominant 20-1 run-rule victory. VRD Black vs. Emanuel
Vidalia Black ran into a tough Emanuel County squad in their second matchup. Emanuel jumped out to a commanding 11-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Vidalia Black found three runs in the bottom of the first, but Emanuel added four more in the second to extend their lead to 15-3.
Showing some resilience, Vidalia rallied for nine runs in the bottom of the second to cut the deficit to 15-12. The comeback stalled there, however, as Emanuel answered with nine runs in the top of the third to pull away for a 24-12 win.
LRD vs. Emanuel
The semifinals of the winners' bracket pitted Lyons against Emanuel County with a trip to the championship on the line. Emanuel put the pressure on early with four runs in the top of the first, but Lyons answered with three in the bottom half to stay within striking distance.
Lyons then took control in the second inning, plating eight runs to build an 11-4 lead. Emanuel managed to close the gap to 11-8 in the third, but Lyons responded with five runs in the bottom of the third and two more in the fourth to clinch an 18-8 run-rule win and secure their spot in the finals. VRD Maroon vs. Evans
Over in the losers' bracket, Vidalia Maroon faced Evans County looking to stay alive. The offense couldn't piece together enough productive at-bats, and Vidalia Maroon fell 13-3, bringing their tournament run to an end. VRD Black vs. Soperton
Vidalia Black's tournament ended in a close, high-scoring battle against Soperton that saw a combined 57 hits between the two teams. Vidalia took control early, scoring seven runs in the first inning and holding a 9-7 lead after two.
A 10-run explosion in the top of the third seemed to put Vidalia Black in the driver's seat with a 19-7 advantage. Soperton refused to quit, scoring three runs in the bottom of the third before putting together a nine-run rally in the fourth to tie the game at 19-19. In the bottom of the fifth, Soperton managed to push across one final run to claim the 20-19 victory and eliminate Vidalia Black.
LRD vs. Emanuel Championship The Championship Game gave Lyons a rematch against Emanuel County for the tournament hardware. Much like their semifinal meeting, Emanuel struck first with four runs in the top of the opening inning.
Lyons answered with three in the bottom half before taking the lead for good with an eight-run second inning, making it 11-4. Emanuel pushed four runs across in the third, but Lyons steadily rebuilt their lead with five runs in the bottom of the third and two final runs in the fourth. The 18-8 run-rule victory officially crowned Lyons as the 8U tournament champions.
