Vidalia 10U Boys Win District Title

The local boys of the Vidalia Recreation Department and Lyons Recreation Department battled it out in the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association District 1 Tournament last week. Hosted right here in Vidalia from June 6 to June 10, the tournament ended with a stellar showing from the home squads. Vidalia Black captured first place, Vidalia Maroon fought their way to a third-place finish, and both Lyons teams tied for fifth.

LRD Navy vs. Effingham #1 Lyons Navy opened the tournament with plenty of offense, securing a solid 16-8 victory over Effingham County #1 in the first round.

LRD Navy vs. Emanuel

In their second matchup, however, Lyons Navy's bats went quiet as they fell to Emanuel County by a score of 100.

VRD Maroon vs. Emanuel

Vidalia Maroon also faced a tough draw in their tournament opener, dropping a 7-1 game against that same Emanuel County squad.

LRD Red vs. Bulloch

Lyons Red kicked off their tournament on a high note, handling Bulloch County in the first round with a commanding 11-1 win.

VRD Black vs. Effingham # 2 Vidalia Black started their run against Effingham County #2. Vidalia pushed a run across in the bottom of the first inning before breaking the game open with eight runs in the second. They added two in the third and one in the fourth to walk away with a 12-0 run-rule victory.

VRD Black vs. LRD Red That set up an all-local clash in the next round between VRD Black and Lyons Red. Vidalia struck first, plating three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Lyons answered with two in the top of the second, but VRD responded with three of their own to stretch the lead to 6-2. After Lyons scratched across a run in the fourth, Vidalia pulled away with a four-run fifth inning. Lyons managed three more in the sixth, but VRD held on for a 10-6 win.

VRD Black vs. Emanuel

Advancing to the semifinals of the winner's bracket, VRD Black faced Emanuel County in a back-and-forth thriller. Vidalia took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but Emanuel got one back in the bottom half and tied it up 2-2 in the third. VRD exploded for five runs in the fourth to take a 7-2 lead. Emanuel didn't fold, scoring two in the fifth before rallying for four runs in the sixth to edge Vidalia, 8-7.

VRD Maroon vs. Effingham #1 Down in the losers' bracket, Vidalia Maroon kept their tournament hopes alive by rolling past Effingham County #1, 11- 2.

LRD Navy vs. Bulloch

Lyons Navy saw their tournament run come to an end in the losers' bracket, falling to Bulloch County by a score of 116.

VRD Maroon vs. LRD Red

Vidalia Maroon then faced off against Lyons Red in an elimination game, pitching a 7-0 shutout to send the Lyons squad home.

VRD Maroon vs. Bulloch Vidalia Maroon kept their momentum going against Bulloch County in the next round. Vidalia steadily built a lead, scoring one in the first, three in the second, and three in the third for a 7-0 advantage. They made it 8-0 in the fourth before Bulloch finally answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Vidalia poured on six more in the top of the fifth for a 14-2 lead. Bulloch made things interesting with a massive seven-run rally in the bottom of the fifth, but VRD slammed the door to secure a 14-9 victory.

VRD Black vs. Maroon

That win set the stage for a losers' bracket semifinal between Vidalia Black and Vidalia Maroon. It was all VRD Black in this matchup as they rolled to a quick victory. Black picked up two runs in the first and three in the third for a 5-0 lead. They tacked on two more in the fourth before exploding for eight runs in the fifth to end the game by run rule, 15-0.

VRD Black vs. Emanuel Championship Game 1 The victory sent VRD Black into the Championship against Emanuel County. Coming out of the losers' bracket, VRD needed to beat Emanuel twice to claim the title. Game one was a tense, one-run battle. Vidalia broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the top of the third, but Emanuel countered with three in the bottom half to take a 3-2 lead. Vidalia tied things up in the fifth and pushed the go-ahead run across in the top of the sixth. The defense held firm in the bottom of the inning to secure a 4-3 win and force a decisive final game.

Game 2

In the second game of the Championship, Vidalia steadily pulled away to capture the title. VRD plated two runs in the top of the second inning, and after Emanuel answered with one in the third, Vidalia took control. A run in the fourth and three more in the fifth extended their lead to 6-1. They capped off the tournament run with two final runs in the top of the sixth, taking the game 8-1 and earning the district crown.

With the district title secured, Vidalia Black will now travel to Statesboro to compete in the GRPA State Tournament beginning next Tuesday.