By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

Troup National coach Huey Hood figures his team hasn’t seen the last of Troup American.

The two teams played a tight ballgame Monday evening in the winner’s bracket of the Dixie Youth Baseball District 1 11-12-year-old tournament, with Troup National building an early 5-1 lead before hanging on for a 6-3 victory.

Troup American and Thomaston will play at 6 p.m. today for the right to face Troup National in Wednesday’s championship game.

The top-two finishers in the tournament advance to the state tournament.

“I have a lot of respect for that team and the way they coach. I have even more respect for them now,” Hood said. “Curt (Longshore), he had them ready. We jumped on them, but they never quit.”

Hood said he and his players will be at the game today cheering on Troup American.

“We’ll be here to support them,” Hood said.

Troup National got a strong pitching performance from Logan Hood and Logan Moody, who each pitched three solid innings.

Colby Freeman paced the offensive effort with a solo home run.

Troup American, meanwhile, stayed in the game thanks largely to the effort of relief pitcher Austin Lashley, who was brilliant.

Lashley came into the game with two outs in the bottom of the first and five runs already in, and he gave up just one hit and one run the rest of the way.

Troup National scored its final run of the game in the bottom of the second.

“He’s tough. He’s a competitor,” Longshore said of Lashley. “It was five innings and nothing but fastballs.”

Troup American got the scoring started with an unearned run in the top of the first.

Jackson Shelnutt reached on an error leading off, and he later scored when a Miles Cameron grounder was booted.

Hood escaped further damage by striking out the final two batters of the inning.

Troup National got all the runs it needed in its half of the first inning.

Freeman got the scoring started with a line-drive shot that just cleared the left-field fence.

After Jonathan Foster singled, Chase Freeman followed with an RBI hit, and Will Smith later knocked in a run with a double.

C.J. Tatum also had a base hit during the rally.

Troup added to its lead in the second, with Jake Howard walking and later scoring on a wild pitch.

Back came Troup American in the top of the third.

Logan Carson, Jonathan Pelham and Jackson Shelnutt each reached to load the bases, and Winston Turner drove in a run the hard way when he was hit by a pitch.

Troup American notched another run on a wild pitch.

Just as he did in the first inning, though, Hood got a big strikeout when men on base, and Troup National kept its three-run lead.

Hood came off the mound pumping his fist and offering encouragement to his teammates.

“I get real excited out there,” Hood said. “It was fun.”

Moody came into the game in the top of the fourth, and he tossed three scoreless innings to preserve the victory.

“I was a little nervous, but I knew the defense was up to it,” Moody said.

Although the game didn’t go his team’s way, Longshore was proud of the way his players kept fighting after the slow start.

“Word around town was we weren’t even supposed to be in that ballgame,” Longshore said. “They’re young, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. They’ve got heart. They’re my boys.”

Troup National, meanwhile, can relax today after securing a spot in the title game, as well as an invitation to state.

“We qualified for state. You can’t get any better than that,” Hood said.