LUMBERTON — After his team was eliminated from the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series on Wednesday, Lumberton “O” Zone coach Gary Carr had nothing but good things to say about his squad.

“I’m extremely proud,” Carr said. “We came back from a tough loss yesterday and battled until the very end. I’m happy.”

Lumberton’s 4-3 loss to Arkansas on Wednesday in loser’s bracket action ended what was the longest run for any of the five host teams participating in the two-week World Series.

After Arkansas scored the game’s first three runs in the third inning, Lumberton responded with three of its own in the fourth.

Kameron Choate scored the deciding run for Arkansas after reaching base on a walk in the sixth inning.

Caleb Maynor went 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored for Lumberton. Garrison Carr also notched a pair of singles and a walk.

Conner Reed went 2-for-3 with two doubles to help pace the Arkansas offense.

Lumberton lost to Louisiana 10-5 in a game that started around 8 p.m., on Tuesday and ended just after midnight due to lightning and power outage delays.

Carr said the resilience his team displayed after that loss was a reflection of its mindset throughout the entire tournament.

“We focused on effort and attitude and they applied that all tournament long,” Carr said.

That effort resulted in a third-place trophy for Lumberton, but Carr said their is a simple takeaway for his team that is more important than the hardware.

“Hard work pays off,” Carr said.

The host team started the tournament with an 18-3 win over Georgia before topping South Carolina 6-3 in the second round. That win earned the team a bye on Monday and set up its game against Louisiana on Tuesday.

In other “O” Zone action, Alabama handed Louisiana its first loss of the tournament with a 3-0 victory to leave three teams with one loss in the tournament.

Arkansas will face Alabama at 10:30 a.m., on Thursday. Louisiana earned a bye into the championship game, which will take place at 6:30 p.m., on Thursday.

Brandon Tester | The Robesonian Lumberton “O” Zone’s Bryce Fuller watches a hit go into the outfield during a game against Arkansas at the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series on Wednesday.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/web1_LumOzoneFinal2_ne20188821248709.jpgBrandon Tester | The Robesonian Lumberton “O” Zone’s Bryce Fuller watches a hit go into the outfield during a game against Arkansas at the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series on Wednesday.

Brandon Tester | The Robesonian The Lumberton “O” Zone team carries its host team flag back to the diamond after being eliminated from the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series on Wednesday.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/web1_LumOzoneFinal_ne20188821243972.jpgBrandon Tester | The Robesonian The Lumberton “O” Zone team carries its host team flag back to the diamond after being eliminated from the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series on Wednesday.
Arkansas, Alabama and Louisiana battle for “O” Zone title Thursday

By Brandon Tester

Staff writer

Reach Brandon Tester at 910-816-1989 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrandonTester.