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Dixie Youth AAA World Series Championship Game

Florida defeated Arkansas 11-1 to become champions of the AAA Dixie Youth World Series on Thursday, August 19.

Florida smashed its way to the championship of the Dixie Youth AAA World Series title with an 11-1 win over Arkansas Thursday at Hillcrest Park.

In the Majors division of the national event, Arkansas fared a little better, knocking off Louisiana 5-4 on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth inning to advance to the championship clash against Georgia set for Thursday evening. Georgia would go on to win the Majors championship with a 6-5 win in the nightcap.

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Dixie Youth Majors World Series: Final Morning

A smattering of scenes from Thursday's penultimate game between Arkansas and Louisiana. Arkansas escaped the nail-biter to win the thrills filled contest 5-4 with a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth inning. Arkansas advanced on to tonight's (Thursday's) winner take-all championship game at 7 p.m. against Georgia at Hillcrest Park in Carthage. Photos by F.W. Manning II

The AAA (10-and-under) division was swamped by the powerhouse Florida team, which rolled through four opponents on the way to the title.

“From day one we came out and hit the ball,” said Florida coach Steve Wash. “It’s indescribable, the way the kids played. They never let down. They hammered the ball.”

Hammer it they did, as the boys from Altamonte Springs, Fla., were never threatened in the buildup to the championship game. The squad defeated Texas, 14-5, North Carolina, 12-2, and Tennessee, 17-0, before the 10-run win over Arkansas.

Pounding out 10 hits, including homers from Alec Makarewicz, Nick Wells and Jason Williams, Florida won the title tilt in four innings, thanks to the 10-run mercy rule.

Florida pitcher Gabe Servi went four innings, giving up six hits and one earned run, in getting the win.

Although Arkansas fell a little short, an Arkansas parent expressed how happy the team was to make the finals.

“We came in as the underdog and didn’t expect to make it past the first three games,” said Steve Luther, “but the fact that we got this far, everyone was shocked.”

In the Majors (12-and-under) division semifinals, Arkansas loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth. The winning run scored when Tyler Moreland worked the Louisiana pitcher for a walk.

The championship game between Georgia and Arkansas was also a nail-biting matchup. The score remained tied 5-5, going into the sixth and final inning, when Dylan Johnson of Georgia hit a go-ahead solo shot to increase their lead by one; a lead that would never be relinquished.

Moore County, as the host site, had teams entered in both divisions of the 24-team event (12 in each division). Both teams were bounced early from the double-elimination format. The other 22 teams competing were Dixie state champions from 11 different states.