By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

Lights out pitching, clutch hitting, and impeccable defense proved to be a winning combination for Troup National Wednesday evening in the Dixie Youth Baseball District 1 championship game at the Harris Baseball Complex.

P.T. Alford and Jeremy Harper combined to throw a three-hitter, and Logan Moody and Colby Freeman each hit home runs as Troup dominated Thomaston 8-0 to win the five-team tournament.

Both teams advance to the state tournament that begins July 18 in Newton County.

The state winner earns a spot in the Dixie World Series.

Troup coach Huey Hood knew his team was going to state regardless of what happened Wednesday, but he wanted his players to finish the tournament strong, and they did.

“You want to finish it,” Hood said. “But I told them we still have a lot of work to do. We can still get better on a lot of things.”

Troup was awfully impressive Wednesday.

Alford got the start, and he was all but untouchable, throwing three dominant innings.

Hood then turned things over to Harper, who was just as good during his three innings of work.

Pitching was a strength throughout the tournament for Troup, which gave up three runs in four games.

“Our pitching is what made us,” Hood said.

It was tight early, with Thomaston’s Logan Fowler locking up with Alford in a pitcher’s duel.

The only run through three innings came in the second when Moody singled and scored on a Harper base hit.

Troup got some breathing room with four runs in the fourth inning.

Freeman, Jonathan Foster and Chase Freeman had consecutive singles, and Moody followed with a three-run home run to make it a 5-0 game.

Troup added a single run in the fifth, with Cody Mimbs singling and later scoring on a Jake Howard groundout.

The lead grew to 7-0 in the sixth, with Colby Freeman launching a solo home run.

Foster scored the game’s final run after reaching on a double and coming around to score on a wild pitch.

Harper set Thomaston down in the bottom of the sixth, and the celebration was on.

The challenge will be a stern one for Troup at state, with a number of teams fighting for just one World Series spot.

Hood figures a deep pitching staff combined with an offense that he believes hasn’t yet rounded into form could give Troup a great chance at state.

“When we get hot at the plate, I want it to be at state,” Hood said. “Our pitching will be there.”

Hood gives a lot of credit for the team’s success to assistant coaches Leon Moody and Kevin Howard.

Moody, Hood said, did a great job calling pitches.

“Leon is awesome with our pitches,” he said. “Everybody in the complex will be looking for a curveball, and he’ll call a fastball.”

Howard, the head coach for the LaGrange College baseball team, not only works closely with the players, but makes the hitting facility at the college available.

“We have a great coaching staff,” Hood said.