BLYTHEWOOD – There’s a new team South Carolina, and it’s from Blythewood.
Blythewood Youth Baseball League’s Coach Pitch team claimed the Diamond Youth Baseball (DYB – formerly Dixie Youth Baseball) State Championship title Tuesday afternoon in Walterboro.
The team’s road to the title was not always smooth.
Blythewood headed into the title game with an unblemished 8-0 record in district and state tournament play.
After defeating Clinton twice, Hilton Head and Hartsville in two days of the double-elimination tournament, they faced Hilton Head again in the title game on Tuesday morning. Hilton Head needed to beat the undefeated Blythewood team twice to secure the state title.
Both teams remained scoreless through three innings of play in the title game. Hilton Head went up in the top of the fourth to take their first lead of the game. Blythewood responded in the bottom of the frame to tie the score at 1.
The game remained tied until the top of the 12th inning, when Hilton Head went ahead. Down 2-1 in the bottom of the 12th, Blythewood tied the score at 2. Hilton Head went up again in the top of the 14th inning, but Blythewood scored in the bottom of the frame to stay alive.
Hilton Head scored another in the top of the 15th to take a 4-3 lead, and this time they held on through the bottom of the inning to take the win.
Blythewood was down, but not out. Because they had been unbeaten in the double-elimination tournament, they would face Hilton Head again for a winner-takes-all game.
With a title standing just out of reach, head coach Dustin Branham knew what was on the line.
“We essentially played two-and-a-half games to come out on the losing end of a 4-3 ball game,” Branham said of the first game.
He knew it was a challenge, but they could refocus.
“We told them ‘this is why we have had long and hard practices all summer – to prepare for the mental and physical toll,’” he said. “We just asked for them to give us the best six innings they have ever played. And to leave it all on the field.”
And that’s what they did.
They jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first. Branham said that’s when he knew the momentum had shifted back to Blythewood.
“In the first inning of the second game, we were able to come out and put a quick three runs on the board and shut them down. We played the baseball we know Blythewood plays,” he said.
Blythewood held that 3-0 lead through three innings, then added another run in the fourth.
Down 4-0 with only two at-bats left, Hilton Head tried to rally. They narrowed the lead to three in the bottom of the fifth.
Hilton Head added another run on a two-out double in the bottom of the sixth, but a pop out to Blythewood’s second baseman ended the game with Blythewood up 4-2.
The celebration was immediate – gloves in the air – a pit stop on their journey complete.
“Every single one of these boys puts it all out on the field,” Branham said. “They play as a team not as individuals. They pick each other up and cheer each other on. When things don’t go our way we are still able to bounce back, like we had to do to win the State Championship.”
District 4 Champions
When Blythewood Youth Baseball League’s spring season ended in May, the Coaches Pitch All-Star team was already assembled and at work.
Blythewood opened play against Midland on June 1 in the District 4 tournament with a big win. Blythewood blew out Midland 15-3 in only three and a half innings.
They faced Lexington National in back-to-back games on June 3 and June 5. Picking up 4-1 and 6-0 wins over the Lexington All-Star team, they advanced to the District title game against Dentsville.
Blythewood put up seven runs in the top of the first and led 7-1 after an inning of play. They added two more in the second and three in the third to extend their lead to 12-1. Dentsville plated two in the bottom of the fourth, but Blythewood held off a rally to take the 13-3 championship win in five innings and advance to the state tournament.
State Champions
Blythewood opened the state tournament against Clinton on Saturday, July 6. It was their first dominant win of the tournament, but wouldn’t be their last. They put up 16 runs in just three innings to claim a 16-1 win over Clinton, then followed with an 11-2 win over Hartsville.
They faced off with Hilton Head for the first time on June 8 and took a 7-4 win, then defeated Clinton again 8-5 to advance to the title game against Hilton Head on June 9.
Team South Carolina
In the nine-game stretch, Blythewood (8-1) outscored their opponents 87-25.
Branham says he knows this team is something special.
“By battling through that championship game, they showed how much they wanted it,” Branham said. “Couldn’t be prouder of this group, and they aren’t done yet. Now it’s time to get back to work and prepare for the World Series.”
With the state tournament win under their belt, the Blythewood team now becomes team South Carolina. They will battle for the Diamond Youth World Series title in their home state – the tournament begins July 25 in Orangeburg.
