Dixie Youth baseball team powers its way to O-Zone World Series crown

Columbia County's rich Dixie Youth Baseball tradition continued last week at the O-Zone World Series in Dothan, Ala. The Columbia County squad represented Georgia well with a power display that will not be soon forgotten.

Columbia County blasted 16 homers in six games as it powered its way to the crown. In the title game against the South Carolina champs from Dentsville, Columbia County got home runs from Jerrick Gibson and Austin Crown en route to an 8-5 victory. Crown's shot was a three-run blast that put Columbia County up 7-2 in the fourth inning. Gibson, who blasted a solo shot in the sixth, also had an RBI double in the second inning.

On the mound, 6-foot-2 Clayton Peoples went the distance to earn the win. The squad was coached by Jamie Dukes and was extremely balanced.

The team went 5-1 during the tournament, with four pitchers (Peoples, Crown, with two wins, Jordan Rice and Christian Hill) picking up victories.

They scored 56 runs in the six games, outscoring their opponents 56-23.

Nine of those runs came in their only loss of the event, a 9-6 setback against South Carolina. The team exacted revenge on the Palmetto State champs by knocking them off in the championship game.

Aside from their two tough contests with South Carolina, the Columbia County team was dominant. In those four games, it outscored their opponents 42-9.

Congratulations to coach Dukes and the entire team.