All-Star ballot includes former Augusta minor league stars

Voting for the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star rosters began on Monday. In sport’s biggest annual popularity contest, fans will vote online and in major and minor league ballparks across the nation this summer to determine the starting lineups for the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

Among the top talent on the ballot are six former Augusta GreenJackets and two former Augusta Pirates. A true Augusta-loving baseball fan can vote for all eight on a single ballot. Here, in proper mid-election form, is the local list including the year(s) each potential all-star played in Augusta:

National League
2B – Freddy Sanchez, Pittsburg Pirates (2000)
SS – Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins (2003)
3B – Aramis Ramirez, Chicago Cubs (1996)
C – Jason Kendall, Milwaukee Brewers (1993*)
OF – Moises Alou, New York Mets (1988*)

American League
1B – Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox (2001-02)
2B – Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox (2004)
OF – Jose Guillen, Kansas City Royals (1995)

*played for the Augusta Pirates

Fans can vote up to 25 times online by clicking on the “Vote Now” link at www.mlb.com. Ballots are also available locally at Lake Olmstead Stadium in the Augusta GreenJackets’ Hive Gift Shop. The shop is open only during GreenJackets home games which will take place May 5-10, May 20-27 and June 2-3.

GreenJackets logo approaching national recognition

A few days ago I posted a blog on a little tournament that Darren Rovell of CNBC started online. The basic idea was to find the best logo in all of minor league baseball using a 64-team, single-elimination tournament to decide the winner.

I doubt Mr. Rovell, or anyone else, could have predicted the intensity and passion with which America's minor league baseball fans would respond. He's been bombarded with e-mails, threatened with legal action and just generally harrassed by folks willing to do anything to get their favorite ball club to the next round.

In the middle of it all, the Augusta GreenJackets have survived. Ranked as a No. 12 seed, the GreenJackets edged out the No. 5 Lake Elsinore Storm in the first round on March 10 and have marched through the bracket ever since. The North Arkansas Naturals, Casper Ghosts and Columbus Catfish have all fallen victim to the GreenJacket voters.

Sound ridiculous? It's serious business in the GreenJackets front office. Sure, they're less than a week away from opening day, but first things first.

"We got our revenge on Columbus," GreenJackets general manager Nick Brown said. "They beat us in the playoffs last year, but we got them back with this."

Yes, the GreenJackets did eliminate the Catfish in the "my logo's better than your logo" quarterfinals. Now, on to the Final Four.

Only four teams remain in the voter-decided tournament. The GreenJackets logo is going head-to-head against the Southern Illinois Miners today. The Clinton Lumberkings and Wichita Wingnuts will face off on Monday in the other semifinal match up. The two winners will meet in the logo championship on Tuesday.

As of noon on Friday, the early results didn't look good for the GreenJackets. The Miners had a comfy 73 percent of the 2,822 votes cast so far. If you're a GreenJackets fan, your team needs your help.

Voting will continue at www.darrenrovell.com until 9 a.m. on Saturday.

The best team name in minor league baseball is...

Minor league sports teams are, by definition, inferior to their major league counterparts in almost every way. The skill level, funding, venue, coaching and much more at the Major League Baseball level is always better than their farm teams.

There is one exception to the rule - team names. The creativity of those small market teams have produced some of the best mascots and names in the sports world.

There’s the Lansing Lugnuts (Class A, Toronto Blue Jays), Montgomery Biscuits (Class AA, Tampa Bay Rays) and Modesto Nuts (Class A, Colorado Rockies). All are actual minor league baseball teams with full rosters, schedules and mascots.

The creativity is in full swing in the Aiken-Augusta area with both the Augusta GreenJackets and Aiken Foxhounds. Starting today, those names are being put to the test.

CNBC.com’s Darren Rovell has put together the top 64 team names in minor league baseball. In true March Madness fashion, the teams have been seeded 1 through 16 and will duke it out through the rest of the month.

Both the GreenJackets and Foxhounds made the field. The Foxhounds are a No. 3 seed. The GreenJackets came in as a No. 12 seed.

Voting began today for the first five matchups and will end Tuesday at 9 a.m. Among them, the No. 12 Augusta GreenJackets are facing the No. 5 Lake Elsinore Storm. With just over 500 votes cast by early afternoon, the GreenJackets were well on their way to an upset.

The first-round action will continue on Tuesday and will include the No. 3 Aiken Foxhounds facing the No. 14 New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

Obviously, the poll is about as unscientific as it gets. The team with the most dedicated and computer-savvy season ticket holders will most likely win it all, but it is fun to look at the crazy names and their mascots.

There’s the Casper Ghosts, the Kansas City T-Bones and the Jamestown Jammers, whose mascot appears to be a highly angered grape.

Check on the tournament’s status at www.darrenrovell.com.

One of Augusta's own to run for U.S. President

Have you decided on a presidential candidate? Better hurry. The Republican and Democrat primaries will hit the state of Georgia on Tuesday.
Will you chose Hillary or Obama? Perhaps McCain, Romney, Huckabee or Paul is more your style. I wouldn’t normally come right out and endorse a specific candidate in a situation like this, but allow me to throw one more name into the mix: Auggie.
Yes, the Augusta GreenJackets mascot has thrown his hat into the race for president of the United States just in time for the Georgia primaries. Don’t believe me? Check out this official press release from the GreenJackets front office:

Augusta, GA - It’s an election year in 2008 and the early voting for the Georgia presidential primaries may have a new face on the ballet. GreenJackets mascot Auggie is throwing his hat in the race with the campaign slogan “A Giant Job Requires a Giant Mascot.”
The slogan is geared toward representing Auggie’s size, his commitment to the big job at hand, as well as his connection to the West Coast in an effort to gain support from sea to shining sea.
A native of Augusta, Auggie has a long track record of being heavily involved in the community and an ambassador of minor league baseball in the area.
“Auggie has been putting smiles on kids and families faces with his many charity works, and he is always giving his time to help support the community in any way he can,” GreenJackets General Manager Nick Brown said. “I know he has my vote of endorsement in the primaries.”
Since the rumors started circulating about Auggie possibly joining the presidential race, the GreenJackets mascot has been often compared to the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.
Auggie stands 6’7, a few inches taller than Lincoln, who, at 6’4, was regarded as the tallest of the U.S. Presidents.
Lincoln also was nicknamed “Honest Abe” and Auggie has a strong track record of never telling a lie, mainly because he can’t talk. However the lack of vocabulary isn’t deferring the support or the commitment by the GreenJackets to have Auggie on the presidential ballot.
“I think they say 90 percent of all communication is body language. For anyone that has seen Auggie, they know he gives 110 percent,” Brown said. “We all know he has a ton of excitement and energy, and he also has one of the best poker faces.”
Auggie can be found at each home game this season for the GreenJackets entertaining fans as well as at various public events through out the CSRA. Information on his public engagements can be found online at the GreenJackets web site, www.greenjacketsbaseball.com.
The GreenJackets will open the 2008 season at home on Thursday, April 3 with a four game series against Greensboro. The home stand will finish on Sunday, April 6; one day before The Masters first practice round will begin. It is the first time since the 2003 season that the GreenJackets will open at home before The Masters.
Season seat packages start as low as $55.00 per seat. For more information on season seats call the GreenJackets at 706-736-7889 or visit www.greenjacketsbaseball.com.

Lynx long night to be remembered

It was no ordinary night at James Brown Arena, but it was a long one.

The Augusta Lynx wrapped up their third home game in three nights with a 4-1 win over the Mississippi Sea Wolves on Saturday. Louis Goulet and Aaron Slattengren scored in the first period, while Geoff Peters and Matt Auffrey put the game away with goals in the third period.

It all came on a night when the Lynx jumped from a tie for fourth in the ECHL's South Division standings to sole possession of third place.

But all of that fine hockey will be nothing more than an afterthought for most of the reported 2,824 fans who showed up at James Brown Arena for a game originally scheduled for a 7:05 p.m. start. Thanks to a pesky problem with the ice, the game didn't actually begin until 9:13 p.m.

It all stemmed back to the first intermission of Friday's home game against the Florida Everblades. It was then that a problem with a relatively small section of ice turned into a major headache. A broken pipe beneath the surface of the ice was the culprit, and it delayed the start of the second period on Friday by almost a half hour.

The pipe was fixed sometime in the early hours of Saturday morning but not before 18 square feet of ice was removed to do it. By the time the repairs were made and the ice replaced, it was 5 p.m. and that's when it became clear that the big patch of slush would become a big problem.

It led to one of the longest nights in Lynx history, and here’s how it all played out:

6:05 p.m. Just as the doors and early-arriving fans began to find their seats, Lynx co-owner and general manager Dan Troutman announced that the start to the game would be pushed back to 7:35 p.m. Soon after, the start was pushed back another half hour to 8:05 p.m.

7:35 p.m. The Lynx and Sea Wolves came out onto the ice for their regular pregame warm ups. That’s as far as they got. The officiating crew, led by referee Jason Rollins, inspected the ice and discussed the problem with each team’s Professional Hockey Players Association’s player representative.

“We were just looking at the safety of it,” defenseman Ken Scuderi, the PHPA player rep for the Lynx, said. “We wanted to see if it could hold up for three periods.”

At that time, the decision was made to delay the game further, and both teams were sent back to their locker rooms.

7:35-9 p.m. The Lynx staff emptied the promo closets. Hats, t-shirts, retractable signs, discs and just about anything else with a Lynx logo on it was tossed into the crowd as upbeat music and clips from popular movies and television shows played on the big screens. It was all in an effort to keep the fans in their seats, and it appeared to work well.

8:58 p.m. As the two-hour mark approached in the delay, the fans began to get restless. A “drop that puck” chant began somewhere in the cheap seats and spread like cracked ice (OK, bad example). Soon, all of James Brown Arena was echoing with the demanding chant.

9:01 p.m. Finally, the announcement came over the loudspeaker. Hockey will be played. The fans were nearly as excited as they were shocked.

9:03 p.m. The Lynx and Sea Wolves returned to the ice for their second pregame warm up of the night. The Sea Wolves tested the patch of questionable ice repeatedly, and it seemed to hold up well.

9:13 p.m. The opening face off finally took place and, after a two-hour and eight-minute delay, the game began.

9:18 p.m. With less than 75 seconds off the game clock, the patch of vulnerable ice became ground zero for a fight between Lynx forward Jeremy Schenderling and Sea Wolves defenseman Chris Cava. Both fighters landed a few hard punches to the delight of the crowd. Cava ended up in the penalty box while Schenderling headed for the locker room with a bloody cut above his eye. Both received five-minute majors for fighting.

 9:41 p.m. After a multiple-hour delay, most of the 2,824 fans actually stayed to watch the game. Then an announcement came over the loudspeaker that nearly cleared the arena. As a thank you to the fans, everyone received free soft drinks at the concession stands for the rest of the night.

10:05 p.m. The second period began with the Lynx leading 2-1. Goulet scored on an unassisted goal with 13:51 left in the first period. Slattengren deflected a pass by Brian Yandle from point for the second score with less than 30 seconds left.

10:51 p.m. The third period began with the same score.

11:26 p.m. The game finally ended. The Lynx added a pair of goals in the third period on a short-handed goal from Peters and an Auffrey score for a 4-1 win that, coupled with South Carolina and Florida losses, improved the home team to third place in the ECHL’s South Division standings.

11:27 p.m. The Lynx began to head to the locker room, but then turned as a team and headed back to center ice. They collectively banged their sticks and waved to the fans as a thank you. The delay lasted two hours and eight minutes. The game took two hours and 13 minutes. Still, it appeared at least 1,000 fans stayed ‘til the end.

“That was unbelievable,” Lynx head coach Bob Ferguson said. “The fact that they stuck around all that time was amazing. It’s not the warmest place to wait around, but I know the players were appreciative.”

There are professional teams that rarely see that kind of loyalty from a fan base. Lynx fans should be proud of themselves for standing by their team.

With all the ice problems, they could have easily given the Lynx the cold shoulder.

Georgia vs. Florida, 2007 Dixie Boys Baseball World Series- Day 4

It's hot! So hot, in fact, that the Dixie officials moved this game, originally scheduled for 5 p.m., back to 8 p.m. tonight to avoid the heat. It may have shaved a few degrees off the temperature gauge, but there's not much difference between 105 degrees Fahrenheit and 101 degrees Fahrenheit.

In this muggy heat, don't expect any one pitcher to last too long tonight. My pregame prediction for this one goes to the team with the most depth on the mound. Which team is that? We'll find out seven innings from now.

Wow. What a way to start a game. Florida's Jeffrey Pitts led off with a long drive down the left field line. The shot had stand-up double all over it, but Pitts tried to stretch it into a triple. Georgia left-fielder Taylor Camp relayed to shortstop Jake Sandlin who gunned down Pitts with a strike to Zach McIntire at third. That's probably the longest out of the tournament. 

A strike out and a fly out to center-field ended the inning.

Bottom of the first: Georgia 0, Florida 0

Georgia pitcher Michael Taylor got the start for the home team. Florida starter Travis Register is on the mound now. Just like everyone else at the ballpark, both pitchers are already drenched in sweat.

It didn't take Georgia long to find the scoreboard. Leadoff man Kody Belcher walked, stole second, took third on a wild pitch, then came home on an RBI single off the bat of Jake Sandlin. Georgia is the most aggressive base-running team that I've seen this tournament. They stole 10 bases in Monday night's win. A stolen base and a wild pitch put them in position for their first run tonight.

Brian Smith grounded into an inning-ending double play. The first inning is over with Georgia in the lead.

Top of the second: Georgia 1, Florida 0

The championship game of the winners' bracket is going on just to the left of this game. South Carolina leads Mississippi 1-0 in the first inning in that one. Mississippi has to be tired. They're 8 p.m. game last night went until 12:30 a.m. Mississippi won that one 25-13. Yes, 25-13.

Kevin Husum led off the inning for Florida with a single through the left side of the infield. He's on third base now thanks to a pair of sacrifice ground outs. Calvin Cox walked to put runners at the corners with two outs.

Florida pitcher Travis Register helped himself with a hard-hit single right back at the pitcher. THe ball took Georgia pitcher Michael Taylor's hat off on its way to center-field. Husum scored to tie the game.

A single from Florida's No. 9 hitter A.J. Howland loaded the bases with two outs. An inside pitch to Jeffrey Pitts nicked his arm and everyone advanced 80 feet including Calvin Cox who scored Florida's second run of the game.

There's a not-so-well-known fact here at the Dixie Boys World Series. These 14-year olds are playing on a diamond with the bases 80-feet apart. It's only 56 feet from the pitcher's mound to home plate. Boys at the high school level and up typically play on 90-foot base paths with 60-feet-6-inches from the rubber to the plate.

Florida's Tyler Helms came up big with a two-RBI single to right field. Florida holds a 4-1 lead, and Jake Sandlin has replaced Michael Taylor on the mound.

Sandlin ended the two-out rallying on the first batter he faced... well, almost. The inning seemed over when Florida's Brandon Mayhan flied out to right field, but just as Georgia was trotting off the field the umpire spoke up and said Sandlin committed a balk just before the pitch. Play continued, Sandlin walked Mayhan and Husum got his second hit of the inning with an RBI double to left field. The inning continues...

A deep single to center-field off the bat of Trevin Hall plated another run. Florida has scored eight runs and sent nine batters to the plate... all with two outs.

A grounder to third base finally ended the inning. The hole has been dug. Let's see what Georgia does while they're down there.

Bottom of the second: Florida 8, Georgia 1

South Carolina has doubled its lead over Mississippi. It's now 2-0 in the second inning. Mississippi's batting with a runner on second and no outs.

Georgia's Michael Taylor reached base with two outs when his arm got in the way of a fastball. This time Georgia's aggressive base-running didn't help. Taylor, who hesitated on a steal attempt between first and second, was gunned down by catcher Brandon Mayhan for the third out.

Top of the third: Florida 8, Georgia 1

Mississippi has tied the score with South Carolina at 2-2 still in the second inning.

Jake Sandlin walked the first batter he faced in the third, and that was enough to get him pulled. Georgia's Cade Hardin is on the mound.

Hardin has a nice come-back story working for him this tournament. He's a little guy, and he entered the tournament wrapping up a month-long break from pitching due to an arm injury. He gave up only one hit in two innings in last night's win. Georgia needs another performance like that tonight if they want to stay alive.

Here comes South Carolina. After giving up a two-run lead in the second inning, they got it back in the third. South Carolina leads Mississippi now 4-2.

Hardin struck out two batters, got another to fly out and left the lead off man stranded at second base.

Bottom of the third: Florida 8, Georgia 1

After last night's win, Georgia coach John Sandlin told me he wasn't at all happy with the way his team hit the ball in the first two games (they won the first one 5-1 and lost the second one 5-4). In the third game (played last night), Sandlin said he was much more pleased with the way his team hit the ball (10 runs on 10 hits). So far, this game looks more like the first two than last night's contest. When will the bats wake up for Georgia?

Florida's glovework is smooth. The third inning ended with Florida's second double play of the game. This one was a 1-6-3 that looked routine.

Top of the fourth: Florida 8, Georgia 1

Here are a few updates from the other 8 p.m. games:

South Carolina 6, Mississippi 2, third inning.

Alabama 4, North Carolina 2, fourth inning.

Kody Belcher has taken over the pitching duties for Georgia. He's in trouble at the moment with runners on second and third with no outs.

Although this one is very much in doubt, the Columbia County boys can do no worse than sixth place in this World Series. Their younger neighbors, the Columbia County 13-year old all-stars, are in Muscle Shoals, Ala. for the Junior Dixie Boys World Series.

That team Georgia went 1-1 in winners' bracket play and have worked their way up to become one of the last four teams remaining in the losers' bracket. They're facing Tennessee tonight in an elimination game.

Belcher got two outs on a strike out and a grounder then walked Ben Devall to load the bases. Georgia got out of the jam when Belcher put a fastball on the outside corner to strike out Calvin Cox and get out of the inning without giving up a run.

Bottom of the fourth: Florida 8, Georgia 1

Georgia's Glenn Cassedy and Brian Smith hit back-to-back doubles in almost exactly the same spot. Both bounced to the fence in left-centerfield, and Georgia's run total doubled. Taylor Camp tacked on another run when his grounder to short ended with the ball on the fence behind first base as Smith crossed home plate.

The inning ended on a strike out and a grounder back to the pitcher, but there's new life in the Georgia crowd.

Top of the fifth: Florida 8, Georgia 3

Let's update those scores from around Citizens Park:

South Carolina 10, Mississippi 3, fourth inning.

Alabama 7, North Carolina 3, fourth inning.

Florida's Tyler Helms connected on a long single to left field that scored A.J. Howland from second base. That's one more run for Florida, and one less inning for Georgia to catch up.

Bottom of the fifth: Florida 9, Georgia 3

Good news from Muscle Shoals, Ala. The Columbia County boys participating in the Junior Dixie Boys World Series won their game today 10-0 in five innings over Tennessee. That win guarantees the boys at least fourth place in the tournament. The 13-year olds will play again Wednesday at 4 p.m.

Florida starter Travis Register is done for the night, and Kevin Husum is in. Register went four innings and gave up three runs on four hits with two strike outs.

The bottom of the fifth appeared just another scoreless affair after Georgia's Zach McIntire got picked off at first and Kody Belcher struck out to start the inning. But Jake Sandlin doubled to left-centerfield. Glenn Cassedy followed with an RBI-single to score Sandlin. Cassedy stole second base, but he paid for it when the throw hit him somewhere above the chest. He appeared fine and stayed in the game but was left stranded when Brian Smith struck out.

Top of the sixth: Florida 9, Georgia 4 

Time for another round of updates:

South Carolina 14, Mississippi 3, fifth inning.

Alabama 7, North Carolina 5, sixth inning.

In Major League Baseball news, Barry* Bonds* is still sitting on 755* home runs and needs only one more to break* Hank Aaron's all-time home run record. Bonds* could break* the record by hitting home run No. 756* when the Giants play the Nationals tonight at 10 p.m. History* could be made tonight.

Georgia gave up a run. Trevin Hall reached first on an error, took second on a stolen base, moved to third on a sacrifice grounder and crossed home plate thanks to a wild pitch. No hits, but one run in the inning for Florida.

Bottom of the sixth: Florida 10, Georgia 4

After a leadoff ground out, two Georgia batters have been hit by pitches. Both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch during Justin Cofer's at bat. Cofer struck out for the second out, and pinch hitter Josh McElhiney did the same. Two more runners standed for Georgia. That makes five on the night.

Top of the seventh: Florida 10, Georgia 4

South Carolina leads Mississippi 14-6 in the sixth inning.

Alabama's holding on with a 7-6 lead over North Carolina in the seventh inning.

Barry* Bonds* is... well... *

Hunter Hamilton is on to pitch for Georgia. Belcher's night is over after giving up two runs on three hits in three innings with three strike outs.

Tyler Helms nearly had the first home run of the game. His double hit the center-field fence one foot from the top. The long shot still managed to score Ean Phillips from first to give Florida an insurance run.

Another infield error allowed Kevin Husum to reach first and Helms to score. Florida leads 12-4.

Finally a fly out to end the inning. Georgia needs eight runs before they get three outs.

Bottom of the seventh: Florida 12, Georgia 4

Alabama 11, North Carolina 6 in the seventh.

South Carolina 14, Mississippi 6 in the seventh.

A strike out, a walk and a pair of fielders' choices ended this ball game. Georgia made a nice run and finished in a tie for fifth place in the tournament.

Final score: Florida 12, Georgia 4

The loss eliminates Georgia while South Carolina will move on to face Alabama on Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Georgia vs. Tennessee, 2007 Dixie Boys Baseball World Series- Day 3

After winning a close ball game over Alabama on opening night, Georgia fell on the other side of a nailbiter Sunday night against Mississippi.

Now it's win or go home at the Dixie Boys Baseball World Series.

Georgia has wasted no time putting a runner in scoring position. The Columbia County All-Stars are the visiting team, and Jake Sandlin now stands at second after a single and stole base. Both Kody Belcher and Glenn Cassedy have struck out, so we've got a runner at second with two outs.

Sandlin stole third base, but cleanup man Brian Smith grounded out to short to end the inning.

Bottom of the first: Georgia 0, Tennessee 0

Kody Belcher is the starting pitcher for Georgia. Does the name sound familiar? He's the cousin of Greenbrier ace Nolan Belcher. Kody, a right-hander, doesn't quite have the same quality curveball that Nolan does, but neither do you.

Kody Belcher's curve just nicked the face mask of Tennessee batter Ryne Fisher. There goes the perfect game. He's still got the no-hitter thanks to a strike out and a ground out.

Tennessee put runners at the corners thanks to a wild pitch, a stolen base and a walk. Georgia head coach John Sandlin had to make a quick trip to the mound to calm down his young pitcher, but it wasn't Belcher's fault when his defense gave up a run. Tennessee's Barker Burnham, on first, intentionally got himself in a rundown between first and second. Belcher fired to second baseman Glenn Cassedy just as Tennessee runer Ryne Fisher, on third base, broke for home. Cassedy threw a bullet to the plate, but it sailed well over the head of catcher Stephen Crawford. The error gave Tennessee a 1-0 lead and, after Belcher drilled Cory Jerrolds in the head, Tennessee has runners at first and second with two outs. 

Georgia shortstop Jake Sandlin just went deep in the hole to keep a ball in the infield. Give Tennessee batter Harrison Johnson credit for an infield hit, but Sandlin gets the nod for keeping at least one more run from scoring.

Steven Rich flew out to right field and the bases are left loaded. Tennessee only got one run out of the deal. That's huge for Georgia. They probably should be down by much more.

Top of the second: Tennessee 1, Georgia 0

In the only winners' bracket game of the day, Mississippi is simply pounding North Carolina 9-0 in the first inning. I'd put Mississippi as the favorite to win this World Series at this point. They've scored 26 runs in 15 innings.

Georgia's Taylor Camp walked to start the inning and went to second on a passed ball. Stephen Crawford struck out, and Camp advanced to third on a sacrifice grounder to the right side of the infield by John-Michael Zumbro. There's two outs, but Georgia is a base hit away from a tied game.

Tennessee pitcher Ryne Fisher snuck a fastball on the inside corner to strike out Michael Taylor and leave Camp at third base. That's one offensive opportunity missed for each team so far.

Bottom of the second: Tennessee 1, Georgia 0

Give the award for loudest fans to Tennessee. Apparently they think they're at a fastpitch softball game because the synchronized chants and cheers are out in full force. 

After giving up a walk and a hit to start the inning, Belcher is out and reliever Glenn Cassedy is on the mound for Georgia. Runners are at the corners with no outs.

Good pitching change by Georgia Coach John Sandlin. Cassedy struck out two batters and got another to pop out to end the inning with runners on second and third. Tennessee still has a one run lead, but five runners left on base after two innings is not a good sign for them.

Top of the third: Tennessee 1, Georgia 0

That's it. The Tennessee cheers are officially annoying. I'm not usually one to bash team spirit, but there's a fine line between positive cheering and noise pollution. Perhaps its the Volunteer orange pom poms and jump suits. Maybe it's the fact that they have a cheer for every baseball situation imaginable (they had one for a double play with one out). Either way, the repeated chant of "two strikes, one to go" isn't helping anyone. And all the players know that "you've got to want it, to win it, and we want it bad." There's no need to remind us.

All the chatter is apparently irritating Tennessee. Three errors in the inning has allowed Georgia to take a 2-1 lead. Kody Belcher reached on an error then went all the way to third on a botched pick off attempt. He scored on another error on a ground ball off the bat of Glenn Cassedy. Brian Smith came through on the next at bat with a pop up double. Cassedy, hustling around the bases with two outs, scored from first to take the lead. Smith stole a base and now stands at third with two outs.

The top of the inning is over after a fly out to left field, but not before the lead changed hands.

Bottom of the third: Georgia 2, Tennessee 1

Here are the other scores from the tournament:

Alabama 13, Aiken 2. Final.

Florida 11, Virginia 0. Final (in four and a half innings).

Mississippi leads North Carolina 12-1 in the second inning

Tennessee is threatening again, this time with back-to-back hits to lead off the inning by Barker Burnham and Cory Jerrolds. Harrison Johnson moved the runners over with a sacrifice grounder to the right side of the infield. A diving stop by Georgia first baseman Brian Smith kept the ball from getting the outfield.

After Georgia pitcher Jake Sandlin struck out Steven Rich for the second out of the inning, Sandlin threw a ball low in the dirt that got all the way to the backstop to score Burnham. A ground out ended the inning one batter later, but Tennessee has tied the game.

Also of note, the Tennessee boys have been encouraged by their fans to "get a little bit rowdy." They were even reminded how to spell it.

Top of the fourth: Georgia 2, Tennessee 2

Well, well. It looks like North Carolina has finally come to life. The champions from the Tar Heel state trailed Mississippi 12-1 in the second inning. It's still the second, and North Carolina has cut the lead to 12-6. They'll keep batting after a Mississippi relief pitcher finishes his warm up tosses.

John-Michael Zumbro led off the inning for Georgia with a walk. Pinch runner Justin Cofer stole second, and Michael Taylor drove him in with an RBI single to left field. Taylor took second base on the throw home, and he's now in the dugout with another run scored to his name after an RBI single by Kody Belcher.

These Georgia batters are wearing out the hole between first and second. Glenn Cassedy just poked another hit through the infield to score Belcher. There's two outs now, and Cassedy has stolen second to put him in scoring position for Brian Smith.

Smith struck out, but Georgia has reclaimed the lead.

Bottom of the fourth: Georgia 5, Tennessee 2

I've got to hand it to the Tennessee fans. They certainly haven't quieted down even though their team lost the lead. The chat of the minute goes something like "stand up for Tennessee- everybody stand up." (Repeat 20x).

The winner of this game will advance to face Florida on Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Tennessee wants to be that winner. Two walks and a single put runners at the corners with one out after catcher Stephen Crawford gunned down a runner at second base. Tennessee's Ryne Fisher hit a slow grounder, and Georgia went for the double play. They got the runner at second, but Fisher was safe at first and picked up an RBI as teammate Coty Eanes crossed the plate.

Top of the fifth: Georgia 5, Tennessee 3

Back to back singles by Stephen Crawford and Justin Cofer and an error by the left-fielder put runners at second and third with one out for Georgia. The Columbia County boys squandered the chance with a strike out and a ground out that stranded both runners.

Bottom of the fifth: Georgia 5, Tennessee 3 

Mississippi still leads North Carolina 12-6. They're now in the fourth inning, and Mississippi has runners on second and third with one out.

Georgia's Cade Hardin is now on to pitch. He relieved Jake Sandlin who allowed two runs on two hits and struck out three batters in three innings of work.

Tennessee got a lead off single from Cory Jerrolds, but that was it.

Top of the sixth: Georgia 5, Tennessee 3

Both of the 8 p.m. games tonight are crawling along at a snail's pace compared to previous nights. I'm seeing more pitchers step off the mound just after coming set and batters calling time in the box before a pitcher delivers. The pressure is on, and these kids can feel it.

For the second time tonight, Kody Belcher has advanced to second on a botched pick-off attempt. He just took third on a wild pitch. He's fast, the pitcher knows it, and that's causing trouble for Tennessee.

Jake Sandlin is now 2-for-4 on the night after his single to left field plated Belcher. Georgia has a little more breathing room with the extra run scored. I'm sure they'd like to add a few more.

Tennessee's centerfielder helped Georgia out by letting a ball get by him. Sandlin is at third, Glenn Cassedy is at second, and Tennessee coach Wes Boutrie is at the mound talking to his entire infield.

Georgia's Brian Smith nearly hit it out of the park on the first pitch he saw. Instead, he'll settle for a double off the fence in left field. Two runs came in to score, and Tennessee starter Ryne Fisher has been pulled.

Cory Jerrolds will come in to pitch for Tennessee. Fisher's finished with five innings pitched, seven strike outs, nine hits and eight runs with one more on base. Georgia leads 8-3 and appears headed for a date with Florida on Tuesday.

It's a wild one on the other diamond. Mississippi still leads, but North Carolina scored again. It's 15-7 with a runner at third for North Carolina and one out in the fourth inning.

Tennessee reliever Cory Jerrolds didn't give up a hit the rest of the inning, but one more run still scored. Pinch runner Hunter Hamilton came in on a wild pitch for a four-run sixth inning.

Bottom of the sixth: Georgia 9, Tennessee 3

In the Mississippi/North Carolina game, the inning is over with Mississippi on top 15-8. They're going into the fifth inning.

Tennessee went down 1-2-3 in the sixth with two strike outs from Georgia pitcher Cade Hardin. The Columbia County boys are three outs away from advancing to day four.

Top of the seventh: Georgia 9, Tennessee 3

Add another insurance run to Georgia's total. Cade Hardin reached base on a walk, and he trotted home after Jake Sandlin launched a double to the gap in left-centerfield. Runners are at the corners with two outs.

Georgia loaded the bases before a fly out to centerfield ended the inning. Even though they stranded three runners, you won't hear one complaint from the Columbia County fans. Their team has a seven run cushion with three outs to go.

Bottom of the seventh: Georgia 10, Tennessee 3

Brian Smith will close this one out on the mound for Georgia. He'll take over for Cade Hardin who threw two strong innings of scoreless, one-hit ball.

Mississippi leads North Carolina 17-8 in the bottom of the fifth.

Smith couldn't wrap up the game on the mound. He walked the bases loaded with one out, struck out Steven Rich, then gave up a two-RBI single to J.D. Clausel. Stephen Gobble followed with an RBI single, and that was all for Smith.

Georgia still leads 10-6 with Michael Taylor now warming up.

Taylor walked Coty Eanes to load the bases. Hold everything- the potential tying run is at the plate.

With a 2-2 count, Taylor got Hunter Petty looking on an outside curve to end the game.

Final score: Georgia 10, Tennessee 6

More live blogging from the 2007 Dixie Boys Baseball World Series at Citizens Park in Aiken begins Tuesday at 8 p.m. as Georgia takes on Florida.

Aiken vs. Alabama, 2007 Dixie Boys Baseball World Series- Day 3

Both Aiken and Alabama are here for their 5 p.m. game tonight but so is the rain. After a brutally hot afternoon, the typical August shower is over us now here at Citizens Park in Aiken.

Despite the wind and rain, pregame warmups have continued so far. No word yet on whether we'll be delayed.

Just as fast as it popped up, the rain clouds have moved on, and we're ready for baseball. The heat is still around but not in this air conditioned press box. Thank you, citizens of Aiken, for the finest recreation baseball facility in the area.

The two local teams are still in this tournament, but that could all change after tonight. Along with the Aiken game, the Columbia County boys representing the state of Georgia face elimination in their losers' bracket game tonight at 8 p.m. against Tennessee.

We're just underway in the Aiken vs. Alabama game, and Alabama's Jacob Croft just led off with a deep shot to the left-centerfield gap for a double. Does that name sound familiar? Croft was the pitcher who went the distance in an eight-inning loss to Georgia on the opening day of this tournament. He won't take the mound today, but he will start at shortstop.

After the leadoff double, Aiken pitcher Brandon Poole settled down to leave Croft stranded at second.

Bottom of the first: Aiken 0, Alabama 0

The only other game taking place right now is another losers' bracket contest between Florida and Virginia. Those two teams are scoreless in the first inning, but Virginia has the bases loaded with one out.

Florida got out of the jam with an inning-ending double play.

Alabama 's John Shrader is on the mound against Aiken. The tall lefty got two ground outs and a line out to take care of Aiken in the bottom of the first.

Top of the second: Aiken 0, Alabama 0

We're at 5:15 p.m. now, and it's still unbelievably hot at field level. With temperatures reaching into the triple digits today, tournament officials have announced all games scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday will be played at 8 p.m. That will allow us to escape most of the heat, but makes for a late bedtime. Not one single 14-year old ball player has argued with that.

The second inning began the same way the first inning did- with a leadoff double. This time Alabama's Tyler Dickerson was the culprit. He's since advanced to third on a sacrifice ground out. Alabama pitcher, John Shrader, is now at the plate with one out and a runner on third.

In the Florida/Virginia game, a beautifully called hit-and-run has given Florida a 1-0 lead. Add a double to that and Florida has a 2-0 advantage still batting in the bottom of the first.

The first mistake of the game is a costly one for Aiken. With runners at the corners at one out, Aiken catcher Cody Heath fired to second on an attempted steal. Heath's throw ended up in centerfield, the runner at second advanced to third and Alabama's Tyler Dickerson came around to score. 

I blinked and missed another Florida score. They're now up 3-0 on Virginia in the bottom of the first.

On a slow grounder to short, Aiken traded a run for an out. Preston Poe gets an RBI on a sacrifice, and Alabama leads 2-0 with two outs. A pop up makes it three outs.

Bottom of the second: Alabama 2, Aiken 0

Ben Donath led off the inning with a double to right-centerfield. It worked for Alabama, why not for the home team?

It didn't work. After a pair of pop flies, Donath ran into the tag of Alabama third baseman Trey Gibson on the left side of the infield.

Top of the third: Alabama 2, Aiken 0

Alabama's Phillip Brown reached base on a single, but with two outs Aiken pitcher Brandon Poole picked him off with a quick move to first. Brown never had a chance.

Bottom of the third: Alabama 2, Aiken 0

Florida has extended its lead over Virginia to 5-0 in the bottom of the second. Florida's still batting with the bases loaded.

Aiken's Drew Moler reached first on four balls and took second on a balk. Caleb Smith couldn't move the runner over with two-fouled off bunt attempts and a swinging third strike, but a wild pitch during the at bat did. Moler's on third base with one out.

Alabama's lead has been cut in half after a grounder to third off the bat of Grayson Smith spelled trouble for third baseman Trey Gibson. Smith was just thrown out trying to steal second and Bryce Clifton watched strike three go by, but Alabama leads by only one run. 

Top of the fourth: Alabama 2, Aiken 1 

Aiken starter Brandon Poole has been replaced by reliever Andrew Faulkner. Poole went three inning and gave up two runs on three hits. He struck out one batter. 

Florida leads Virginia 8-0 in the top of the third. The game's not yet halfway over, but Florida has scored in every inning so far.

Faulkner got a leadoff fly out then struck out the next three batters (Aiken catcher Cody Heath is having a tough time catching those strikes). No harm done, though.

Bottom of the fourth: Alabama 2, Aiken 1

Yikes. Alabama's Jacob Croft, who threw almost 150 pitches in a complete-game effort against Georgia on Saturday, just relieved starter John Shrader. Croft was nearly unhittable through seven innings against Georgia. Let's see how he does on less than two days rest with a one-run lead against Aiken.

In three innings of work, Shrader gave up only one run on one hit and struck out two batters.

Aiken's batters hit Croft, but not so anyone could tell by looking at the scoreboard. A ground ball and two fly outs got Alabama off the field with no damage done.

Top of the fifth: Alabama 2, Aiken 1

The ball park isn't quite as full today as it has been the past two days. Of course, we've had three teams eliminated between today and yesterday. Dixie officials estimated the total attendance on opening day right at 2,000 people not including players and coaches.

Alabama is threatening to break this game open. They've got the bases loaded with no outs thanks to two singles and an error.

Alabama's Brandon Phillips picked up an RBI with a slow rolling grounder down the first base line. Faulkner jumped off the mound to field it, but his only play was the tag at first. Alabama leads 3-1 with on out and runners at second and third.

That's all from Faulkner. Aiken's Cody Heath relieved him on the mound (Joseph O'Conor is now the catcher). Faulkner went an inning and a third, gave up two hits and struck out three batters. He's allowed one run so far, but the two runners on base are still his.

two more Alabama runs have crossed the plate. Heath hit the first batter he faced, then a hard grounder off the chest of first baseman Bryce Clifton scored a run. Heath walked Tyler Dickerson with the bases loaded for the second score. 

Alabama's Bret Loudermilk singled in another run with a nice shot to centerfield. That's enough to pull the plug on Heath and put in Matthew Polk to pitch. Alabama leads 6-1, still batting, with one out and the bases loaded.

Florida's lead has ballooned to an 11-0 advantage over Virginia. They're in the top of the fifth.

Control problems have hit Aiken hard here in the losers' bracket. Polk just walked in a run on the first batter he faced.

Alabama's Preston Poe gets the game ball in this one. He just cleared the bases with a 3-RBI double to deep centerfield. Poe is 2-for-2 this inning and 2-for-3 in the game with four RBI. Alabama leads 10-1.

Polk finally got Aiken out of the inning with a strike out and a ground ball, but the damage has been done. Florida's 11-0 win over Virginia is now a final score after four and a half innings, and Alabama looks to be heading for a similar victory.

Bottom of the fifth: Alabama 10, Aiken 1

Colby Williams is now on to pitch for Alabama. He hit the first batter he faced, but Aiken went 1-2-3 after that.

Top of the sixth: Alabama 10, Aiken 1

Aiken's fifth pitcher of the day is Bryce Clifton. He'll be facing Alabama's 2-3-4 hitters.

Clifton forced Alabama into its first 1-2-3 inning of the game. Aiken has six outs left and nine runs to make up.

Bottom of the sixth: Alabama 10, Aiken 1

Aiken's Ben Donath doubled his team's score with an RBI single to left field. Bryce Clifton reached base on a fielder's choice earlier in the inning and advanced to third on a sacrifice fly from Brandon Poole. Clifton scored on the Donath single.

As if Jacob Croft hadn't already impressed the Citizens Park crowd enough with his pitching, he just wowed fans with a diving catch at his position at shortstop. Aiken's Andrew Faulkner blooped a pitch that looked like it was falling just to the left of second base when Croft swooped under the pop up and made a nice diving grab to end the inning.

Top of the seventh: Alabama 10, Aiken 2

Barring some Rookie of the Year-type miracle, Alabama will play Tuesday at 8 p.m. against the loser of tonight's Mississippi/North Carolina game. Aiken's going to go home with a 1-2 tournament record.

Alabama put three more runs on the board thanks to an RBI single by Trey Gibson and a two-RBI single from Jacob Croft. Aiken's out of the inning, but need 11 runs before three outs.

Bottom of the seventh: Alabama 13, Aiken 2

Aiken's Cody Heath led off with a single to start the inning, and Drew Molar later singled up the middle. That's all the home team had left as Aiken's all-stars have now been eliminated from the Dixie Boys Baseball World Series. Alabama survived its second losers' bracket game and is now four wins away from a world series title.

Final score: Alabama 13, Aiken 2.

Check back at 8 p.m. for live blogging of the Georgia vs. Tennessee game. 

2007 Dixie Boys Baseball World Series- Day 2

Welcome to the second day of the 2007 Dixie Boys Baseball World Series.

Tonight is the battle of South Carolina as Aiken, the host team, takes on Union, the South Carolina state champs. We're just now underway with Union as the home team.

Here's a pregame observation: Obviously, the parking lot is filled with team spirit. Window paint and shoe polish cover a large portion of the minivan windows out there with the usual "World Series Bound" and "Go State Champs" messages.

I'd have to give the winner of the most detailed vehicle decor to one zealous fan from Louisiana. Not only did this particular vehicle have the encouraging messages, it also had a full portrait of the state of Louisiana itself.  Louisiana isn't exactly an easy state to draw. We're not talking the typical box shape like Colorado or Wyoming. No, this is Lousiana with a winding coastline almost like a frayed knot. Let's just say this Louisiana fan didn't cut corners. That's true team spirit.

After the top of the first inning it's obvious Aiken isn't going to have a 20-0 win like it did last night. Aiken's Brandon Poole walked, but he was the only base runner. Union's coming to bat.

Bottom of the first: Aiken 0, Union 0

Aiken pitcher Ben Donath is at it again with his nasty curve. He struck out the side for the third time in three innings this tournament.

Top of the second: Aiken 0, Union 0

Here are the scores from the losers' bracket action earlier today:

Alabama 7, Arkansas 6.

Virginia 17, Texas 2.

Florida 17, Louisiana 3.

The winners live another day. The losers have been eliminated.

Aiken put another runner on in the top of the second, but that was it. This game's living up to its hype so far. We've got two good, well-coached teams going at it. South Carolina pride is on the line.

Bottom of the second: Aiken 0, Union 0

Neither pitcher has given up a hit so far. Donath struck out the side in the first while Union's Keiston Stevens has only given up a pair of walks in two innings of work. A couple of runs might be enough to win this game if the trend holds.

Aiken second baseman Bren Wilson just showed some nice range by moving to his right to track down a grounder off the bat of Stevens. Most kids at this age would have tried to backhand that ball. Wilson was quick enough to get in front of it.

Donath picked up his fourth strike out of the game, and Aiken's Grayson Smith had an adventure tracking the ball down in centerfield but the inning is over with no damage done.

Top of the third: Aiken 0, Union 0

The other local team in this tournament is Columbia County, representing the state of Georgia. The boys from across the Savannah River are trailing right now 2-0 in the second inning. I'm told errors have hurt them in the early part of the game.

Aiken's Grayson Smith just broke up the no-hitter with a double to the gap in right-center field. Bryce Clifton followed with an infield hit, and we've got our first scoring opportunity of the game. Runners at the corners with one out.

Union's Taylun Wallace just gave his team a huge momentum boost. The shortstop scooped up a ball near second base, tagged the bag and fired to first for an inning-ending double play. Aiken's first opportunity to put some runs on the board is gone.

Bottom of the third: Aiken 0, Union 0

Here come the Union boys with a scoring opportunity of their own. Deion Smith led off the inning with a walk, and Darrius Beacham followed with a single to left field. Runners at first and second with no outs. 

Union's No. 9 hitter, Jacob Freenman, put the South Carolina state champs on the board first. He poked a single through the right side of the infield to score Deion Smith for a 1-0 lead. Union's still batting with runners at the corners and no outs.

Team Georgia update: The Columbia County boys are heading to the top of the third still trailing Mississippi 2-0.

Back to the Aiken boys, Union has loaded the bases after Josh Armstrong took ball four. Still no outs, and we're one swing away from this getting ugly for the hometown boys.

No swing needed. Donath walked Union's Adam Lawson to bring a run home.

After a force out at home, Union's Keiston Stevens hit a grounder that found its way into left field for a two-run single. Duckett reached third, but then trotted home after Aiken catcher Cody Heath fired the ball into left field on a botched throw to third. Union's up 5-0 and still batting with one out.

Another error, another run for Union. Aiken third baseman Michael Fekete, who made a nice play earlier in the inning on a force out at home, threw the ball over his first baseman's head for an error. The South Carolina state champs are now up 6-0, and Aiken pitcher Ben Donath has been replaced by Caleb Smith.

Smith balked in another run. Union is still batting with one out, and the inning can't end soon enough for Aiken.

Things aren't looking that great for Team Georgia either. The Columbia County boys are getting no-hit through three innings. They still trail Mississippi 2-0.

The gloom is as thick as the humidity here at Citizens Park for the two local teams. But as they say in the recreation baseball world, "It ain't over 'til you get a fudge round and a juice box."

We've got another pitching change for Aiken. Smith is out and Andrew Faulkner is in.

In other Dixie Boys Baseball action (there's a transition worthy of a professional writer), North Carolina is on top of Tennessee 6-0 in the third inning. Georgia finally got a hit off Mississippi thanks to Columbia County's Michael Taylor, but they're still losing 2-0 in the fourth inning.

Aiken's finally out of the inning. Union baserunner Deion Smith got caught in a pickle between third and home and was gunned down at the plate. Darrius Beacham followed with a line out to shortstop Brandon Poole to end the seven-run, three-hit inning.

Top of the fourth: Union 7, Aiken 0

Tennessee just put two runs across the plate on field No. 7. They still trail North Carolina 6-2 in the third inning.

Union pitcher Keiston Stevens looks unhittable at this point. He just struck out the side to end the inning. He's now at four inning pitched with five strike outs and only two hits.

Bottom of the fourth: Union 7, Aiken 0

Union's at it again. After a leadoff strikeout, Josh Armstrong reached on a single to left field. Union's Adam Lawson skied one to left-centerfield, and it fell in between two Aiken fielders to score Armstrong. Lawson scored one batter later on an error. Union leads 9-0, still batting, with one out in the fourth inning.

Good news for Columbia County fans: Georgia has cut the Mississippi lead in half with a run on a walk and an error. They're losing 2-1 in the sixth.

A ground out and a pop out ended Union's half of the inning.

Top of the fifth: Union 9, Aiken 0

Union starter Keiston Stevens is out and Kendrick Byrd is in. Aiken's Cody Heath led off the inning with a single, but we've had two outs since then.

Grayson Smith struck out, and the top half of the inning is over. Get the juice boxes ready.

Bottom of the fifth: Union 9, Aiken 0

New life for Team Georgia. It's all tied at 2-2 after Taylor Camp bunted in Justin Cofer in the sixth. Columbia County is still batting.

North Carolina is beating Tennessee 8-2 in the fourth inning.

Matthew Polk is now on the mound for Aiken. He struck out the first two batters, gave up a single and got leadoff man Josh Armstrong to pop out to end the inning.

Top of the sixth: Union 9, Aiken 0

Columbia County has once again given up the lead, this time on a double by Mississippi's Wade Robertson in the sixth inning. Mississippi leads 3-2 over Georgia, and they're still batting with no outs and a runner on second.

Aiken went 1-2-walk-3 in the top of the sixth inning. They've got only one more trip to the plate as a team before this one's over.

Bottom of the sixth: Union 9, Aiken 0

North Carolina has just about wrapped things up against Tennessee. They're leading 11-2 in the fifth.

Georgia now trails Mississippi 5-3 in the top of the seventh.

Union's Jarrod Cheek crushed the ball over the fence in dead centerfield for a walk-off home run. The mercy rule is in effect and Union beat Aiken 12-0.

Columbia County also lost their second-round game by a final score of 5-4.

Check back Monday at 5 p.m. for more live blogging from the 2007 Dixie Boys Baseball World Series.

Aiken vs. Texas, 2007 Dixie Boys Baseball World Series

One look at field No. 8 in Citizens Park in Aiken is all it took to confirm that Aiken isn't the host team in name only. The home team has a fan base that outnumbers any of the 12 state championship teams here to compete for a Dixie World Series title.

The visiting team, Texas, brought a handful of faithful fans. Obviously, they made the longest drive of any other team here. That being said, they hope to stay here as long as they can.

Aiken pitcher Ben Donath couldn't have gotten off to a better start. The right-handed hurler struck out the side 1-2-3. Aiken's coming to bat, and the home town fans already have something to cheer about.

Bottom of the first: Aiken 0, Texas 0

The other local team, Columbia County's all-stars, represented the team of Georgia in the 5 p.m. round of games earlier today. Georgia knocked off Alabama 4-1 in eight innings to advance to the second round. The two local teams wouldn't meet in this tournament until the winner's bracket finals.

As flat as the Texas bats were in the top of the first, the Aiken bats are popping. Leadoff man Drew Moler walked and advanced to second on a single by Bryce Clifton. Brandon Poole immediately drove them both home with a two-RBI double down the left field line. Aiken leads 2-0, still batting in the first.

The hits keep coming. Ben Donath, Aiken's pitcher, helped his own cause with an RBI single to right field. Aiken's on top 3-0 still no outs.

The first out for Aiken came on a sacrifice bunt by Andrew Faulkner. He moved Donath to third base. Michael Fekete took a pitch to the arm, but still looked tough trotting down to first base.

Can a game be over in the first inning? If the rest of the contest keeps going like this, we might as well call this one now. Aiken's Ben Wilson, with runners at the corners and one out, tried to bunt. He popped the pitch up just enough to clear the pitcher's glove but not high enough for the second baseman to get to it. Everyone's safe including Donath who scored the fourth run of the game for Aiken.

Cody Heath walked to load the bases for Aiken. I wonder if Caleb Smith, the No. 9 hitter, thought he'd get to bat in the first inning. He's up there now, but he just swung at a pitch in his eyes for strike three. Two outs, bases still juiced.

Moler, in his second at bat of the inning, grounds out to the shortstop to end the first. Four runs on four hits but three men were left on base. It's a great start for Aiken, but will four runs win this ball game?

Top of the second: Aiken 4, Texas 0

Ben Donath just struck out the side again. Two innings- six strikeouts. Wow.

Bottom of the second: Aiken 4, Texas 0

No doubt about it. It's Aiken's night. Leading off the second, Bryce Clifton worked the count to 3-2 before he popped up to shallow centerfield. No one wearing a Texas jersey ever saw the ball, including shortstop Alex Cameron. The ball almost hit him in the head as it fell five feet behind him and Clifton reached first safely.

Proving the four-run first inning was no fluke, the Aiken boys are at it again. Donath bunted the runners over to second and third, and Andrew Faulkner cleared the bases with a two-RBI double in the right-centerfield gap. The home team's up 6-0 and still batting.

After a strike out, Aiken catcher Cody Heath found the hole between third and shortstop with a bouncing two-RBI single. With an 8-0 lead and Aiken still batting, the question arises: Is there a mercy rule at the Dixie World Series?

Top of the third: Aiken 8, Texas 0

Ben Donath is human... well, almost. After striking out the first seven batters he faced. Chris Chance made contact and put the ball in play. Aiken second baseman Ben Wilson was there to snag the ball out of the air for the second out of the inning, but at least it wasn't another strike out.

Donath's perfect game and no-hitter ended after two and two-thirds innings. Texas' No. 9 hitter Brandon Goyne snuck a ground ball underneath Aiken shortstop Brandon Poole's glove for the first Texas hit of the game.

A walk, a wild pitch and a passed ball allowed Texas to threaten with runners on second and third base. Donath got out of the jam by striking out Alex Cameron to end the inning.

Bottom of the third: Aiken 8, Texas 0

Another inning, another Aiken offensive explosion. Brandon Poole, Ben Donath and Andrew Faulkner are the guilty parties this time. Poole lined a shot into centerfield to score Bryce Clifton with an RBI single. Donath plated Poole on the next at bat with a deep double to left-centerfield. Faulkner followed with an RBI double to riight field. We've hit the double-digits now with no end in sight. Aiken 11, Texas 0.

A long overdue pitching change has been made by Texas. Starter Collin Castle is out after two and one-thirds innings pitched saw 11 runs scored on 12 hits. Jake Jeffries is now on the mound for Texas.

Aiken pinch hitter Joseph O'Conor just gave his coach a good reason to start him tomorrow. O'Conor launched a shot deep to left field. He's now huffing and puffing on third base with two RBI to his name.

Aiken now holds a two touchdown lead after Caleb Smith singled up the middle to score O'Connor. Hoping to win the sportsmanship trophy, Aiken did not go for two.

In three innings, Bryce Clifton is now 3-for-3 with a walk. His latest hit, a two-RBI double, just came in the third inning. Those RBI were the seventh and eighth runs of the inning.

Ben Donath is now 2-for-2 with three RBI and two doubles... this inning. Aiken 18, Texas 0.

Faulkner's second double of the inning was two feet away from being a home run. Aiken has 19 runs. I don't think the scoreboard can go to 20.

Texas has a new pitcher, Alex Cameron. Yes, we're still in the third inning.

The longest inning in the history of my life is over. 11 runs, eight hits, three errors, one tired sportswriter. And to answer my previous question- apparently 19 runs after three innings is not enough to force the mercy rule.

Top of the fourth: Aiken 19, Texas 0

Obviously, after that 16-at bat, 11-run marathon of an inning, Ben Donath is no longer pitching for Aiken. He's now grown up, has a wife, three kids and a college degree. Caleb Smith is the new Aiken pitcher.

Smith fared just as well as Donath. Texas went 1-2-3 on three strikeouts in the fourth.

Bottom of the fourth: Aiken 19, Texas 0

We've hit the 20-run mark thanks to an error by the Texas third baseman. Caleb Smith scored and the whole park found out that the scoreboards can indeed post 20 runs.

Top of the fifth: Aiken 20, Texas 0

Another 1-2-3 inning, and thank God for the mercy rule. Aiken wins in the most lop-sided victory of the tournament so far.

Final score: Aiken 20, Texas 0.

Aiken plays their second round game on Sunday at 8 p.m.

Dixie Boys World Series coverage

Technical difficulties in the Citizens Park press box have made it a tough task to reach the Internet for the opening round of the 2007 Dixie Boys Baseball World Series.

Those problems have been overcome now, but the Columbia County squad, representing the state of Georgia, is running into some technical difficulties of its own against first-round opponent Alabama.

Georgia is down 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Alabama's Colt Buttram lined a shot down the left field line for an RBI single in the first inning for the game's only score.

Alabama's pitcher Jacob Croft has taken care of the rest. He's still in the game, but through four innings he's struck out 10 batters and allowed only two hits.

 I overcame the Internet difficulties before the game ended, let's see if the boys from Columbia County overcome their own obstacles. 

 Top of the fifth inning: Alabama 1, Georgia 0

After Georgia's Josh McElhaney grounded out to the shortstop, Croft struck out Jake Sandlin looking. Two down in the top of the fifth.

Georgia's Kody Belcher walked then stole second. Glenn Cassedy is up to bat with a chance to tie and two outs. This might be Georgia's best opportunity to score.

Cassedy came through with a single between first and second to score Belcher. Cassedy, Georgia's pitcher, is trying to do it all by himself. He'ss given up only one run on three hits through four innings of work. Now he's put his team back in the game with an RBI single.

 Bottom of the fifth: Alabama 1, Georgia 1

Georgia starter Glenn Cassedy is out, and reliever Kody Belcher is in. Cassedy's line- one run on three hits with three strikeouts- is a good start to the tournament. Too bad he'll get a no decision in this one.

Belcher gave up a leadoff single to Preston Poe, but cathcer Stephen Crawford took care of that by throwing out Poe on an attempted steal during the next at bat. A walk, a fly out and a single put runners at second and third with two outs for Alabama, but Belcher ended the threat with some high heat to strike out Colt Buttram.

Top of the sixth: Alabama 1, Georgia 1

Two innings left and still nothing decided. The Columbia County crowd, at least 200 strong, is on the edge of their seats.

Georgia pinch hitter Justin Cofer came through with a clutch double to the gap in right-centerfield. He took third on a wild pitch just before Cade Hardin walked. An infield bunt by Michael Taylor filled the bases with one out. Zach McIntire is at the plate for Georgia. McIntire struck out swining for the second out.

Jake Sandlin, with two outs and the bases loaded, swung at the first pitch. The ball went maybe six feet. Croft raced off the mound, fielded it and flipped to catcher Tyler Dickerson for the force out at home to end the inning.

The bases were loaded with one out for Georgia, but no runs scored. Momentum- Alabama.

Bottom of the sixth: Alabama 1, Georgia 1

With only two more chances to bat, Alabama's threatening. Back to back singles by Tyler Dickerson and Justin Keef put runners at first and second. Luke McGee earned first base the hard way with a fastball to the back. Bases loaded no outs. Kody Belcher is still on the mound for Georgia.

Belcher struck out Alabama's John Shrader with a high fastball on a 2-2 count. One down.

Three pitches, three strikes and Preston Poe falls victim to Belcher's cruve. Two down, bases still juiced in a tie ball game.

A weak grounder to first base and Columbia County is out of the inning. The way they celebrated in front of their dugout made it seem the game was firmly in their grasp. Both teams had their chance to score in the sixth but neither did. We go to the final inning of regulation still tied at one apiece.

Top of the seventh: Alabama 1, Georgia 1

Belcher got his team out of a bases loaded, no outs jam in the bottom of the sixth with two strike outs and a ground ball. He led off the top of the seventh with a walk- a good start.

Belcher stole second and Glenn Cassedy placed a perfect bunt down the third base line. Both runners were safe. The go-ahead run stands 80 feet away at third base with no outs.

Brian Smith struck out on the next at bat, and Stephen's Crawford bunt attempt didn't help. Justin Cofer struck out looking, and another big potential scoring opportunity goes down the drain. That hurt.

Bottom of the seventh: Alabama 1, Georgia 1 

It's now either a Columbia County loss, or we're headed to extra innings.

Extra innings it is. Two Alabama batters got hits in the bottom of the seventh, but one was put out on a fielder's choice and the other was gunned down at third base by catcher Stephen Crawford on a steal attempt. A pop fly to third ended the inning. Belcher, who gave up the leadoff single, was pulled from the mound in favor of Michael Taylor.

Top of the eighth: Alabama 1, Georgia 1

I can hear the postgame interviews now: "It's a shame one of these teams had to lose. They're both great ball clubs."

As cliche' as it sounds, it's true. Citizens Park Athletic Supervisor Jeff Metz predicted before the first pitch that this would be a great ball game. He just made another observation that might come true.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the losing team here came back up through the losers' bracket to be in the finals," he said.

It wouldn't surprise me either.

A walk and a hit batsman, coupled with a strikeout and a stolen base, have put runners on the corners with one out for Georgia. Hunter Hamilton, who took the hit in the shoulder, just stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Lefty Jake Sandlin is at the plate.

Sandlin came through. He's now way ahead in the race for a game ball after his single to right field plated two runs and broke the 1-1 tie. You could hear the collective sigh of relief from Columbia County fans all the way out in Appling.

The floodgates have opened. Glenn Cassedy's infield single scored Sandlin, and Brian Smith just ripped a double on a called hit-and-run to score Cassedy from first. The four-run (and counting) eighth inning is enough for Alabama coach Scott Smith to pull pitcher Jacob Croft. John Shrader is in.

It looks like Croft simply ran out of gas. He pitched seven and two-thirds innings and gave up five runs on nine hits (one run on six hits before coming into the eighth). He took a no-hitter into the fourth inning and struck out a whopping 15 batters. Amazingly, he'll get a loss for the effort unless Alabama can get out of this inning and score at least three runs in the bottom of the eighth.

The greatest inning of Team Georgia's short existence finally came to an end, but not before the Columbia County boys batted around and scored four runs. Georgia coach John Sandlin has to be proud of his team as a head coach, but he's also proud as a son. Jake Sandlin started the big inning with a two-RBI single to break the tie.

Bottom of the eighth: Georgia 4, Alabama 1

It's all over. Two ground outs to second, a single and a fly out was enough to retire Alabama and give Georgia an extra inning, first-round win. The Columbia County boys will play again on Sunday at 8 p.m. against Mississippi.

Final score: Georgia 4, Alabama 1

Check back at 8 p.m. for a live blog of the Aiken vs. Texas game.