LUMBERTON — After falling 5-4 to Texas on Sunday night to be eliminated from the Dixie Youth AAA World Series, Lumberton coach Jeff Nance was wearing a smile.
“I’m proud of them kids, man,” Nance said. “They had fun. They ball and they had heart.”
The hosts were bounced on Sunday in the elimination game by the Texas state champions, but staying close, and at one point leading a team of that caliber was what Nance was proud of.
“They had a couple good hits, and we did too,” Nance said.
Lumberton answered back in the game after falling in a 3-0 hole after one inning with a pair of runs in each of the third and fourth innings to go up 4-3.
A wild pitch scored Lumberton’s first run in the third inning and then a bases-loaded walk to A.J. Day scored the second. Braylon Hunt’s sacrifice fly in the fourth inning tied the game, before Mason Nance’s RBI single put the hosts up by one run.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Texas took the lead back as two runs scored with two outs after an error in the outfield. Despite the error that cost his team the game, Jeff Nance was pleased with his team’s ability to get the easy outs.
“Today was a better day of them,” Nance said. “We made the right throws and everything. That’s why it was a 5-4 ballgame, you couldn’t ask for a better ballgame.”
Mason Nance got the start and struck out three batters in 3 1/3 innings. He also was Lumberton’s only batter to get a hit in the game.
Texas pushed three runs across in the first inning as the first five batters reached base safely.
Leading the Texas offense was Jonah Hunter and Riley Parks with two hits each.
Texas will play South Carolina in 5:45 p.m., elimination game on Monday. South Carolina was defeated by Louisiana on Sunday.
In other AAA action on Sunday, Mississippi defeated Virginia 9-3, Arkansas edged Tennessee 9-7, Florida shutout Alabama 5-0 and North Carolina defeated Georgia 3-2.
