Hartsville enjoying AA championship

South Carolina (Hartsville) spent most of its time in the Dixie Youth Baseball Coach Pitch World Series on the brink of elimination but overcame adversity time and again to capture the AA Championship last week at North Myrtle Beach.

After dropping the opening game of the World Series, Hartsville reeled off six straight victories, including three come-from-behind wins. Last Thursday, on championship day, South Carolina knocked off Tennessee 17-8 and Alabama 11-1 to earn the title.

“It was really emotional for all of the coaches. The kids, they don’t really realize what they’ve won yet because they’re so young, but it’s a tremendous victory for them. They were ecstatic,” Hartsville coach Robbie Parker said. “They’ll remember this first for the rest of their life. They all dogpiled on the field and had a big celebration.”

Parker added the field conditions helped his team to turn things. The field was somewhat wet early in the tournament, but stayed dry during the final days.

“We like it hard and fast. We can catch it on the hard field whereas the other boys can’t,” Parker said. “Our defense is tough, and they don’t mind getting in front of the ball.”

While some teams might have gotten discouraged after falling in the opening game of a double-elimination tournament, Parker said he trusted his team would rally and make a run at the championship.

“Losing didn’t affect them. They knew what they could do and they were just ready to get it done,” he said. “That comes from playing together from March until July. We have a really strong bond. All of our kids like each other and they all hustle really hard.”

This story was originally published August 14, 2015 at 9:57 PM with the headline "Hartsville enjoying AA championship."