Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

Their tournament stay was barely under way, and already they were fighting for their lives.

The Troup National 9-10 all-stars overwhelmed the opposition in the district and state tournaments, not even coming close to losing a game.

They weren’t just winning games, they were pummeling teams into submission.

Yet in the opening game of the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series in Laurel, Miss., Troup County did lose, falling 7-0 to the Mississippi state champion.

Whatever cloak of invincibility Troup County had been wearing was gone.

Yet although Troup lost a game, the players weren’t defeated.

Their confidence remained, and they figured they’d come out the next day and start winning ballgames again.

“We weren’t down. We just weren’t hitting the ball,” said team member Austin Gordon. “We came back and started hitting the ball after that.”

Boy did they.

With Jake Farrar hitting home runs in five consecutive games, and the rest of the lineup pounding the ball as well, Troup County didn’t lose again, winning six straight games.

After an emotional and thrilling 8-7 victory over Alabama in the final game, Troup County had the championship.

Next up for Troup will be the Tournament of Champions in Memphis, Tenn., which brings together champions from various leagues in the country.

This group of young ballplayers became the first team in the history of the county to win a Dixie title, and the victory added to what’s been an extraordinary summer for baseball in Troup County.

Three other teams won Dixie state titles, while a West Point team won the Senior League state championship.

What a summer, and what a baseball team.

“They’re a really good group of kids,” said Jay Anderson, who along with Bill Johnson and Jared Elder coached the team to the championship. “They played well together, and they’re really supportive of each other.”

The championship didn’t come easily, not against an Alabama team that fought back gamely after falling behind 7-0.

Troup held on late, though, thanks to some clutch pitching from Ben Anderson, and some remarkable defensive plays in the final inning when Alabama left the bases loaded.

Anderson threw a couple of scoreless innings to get the victory, and he and brother Matthew made some terrific plays in the field to preserve the lead.

There were plenty of other defensive heroes as well, including Champ Willis who made some highlight-reel plays.

At the plate, Farrar capped his remarkable tournament stay with a two-run double, and Dylan Johnson clubbed a two-run home run.

Champ Willis added an RBI double, and it was Ken Truitt who broke a 7-7 tie with an RBI double.

“It was really exciting,” Gordon said. “Ben had a real good play, and Matthew had a real good play in that last inning. And Ben saved us (with his pitching).”

For Troup, no one stood taller than Farrar, one of three players on last year’s World Series team that finished second to Mississippi.

Farrar, who hit three home runs in last year’s World Series, had five home runs in seven days, including grand slams on back-to-back days.

Making Farrar’s performance all the more impressive, he received the Barry Bonds treatment throughout the tournament, meaning he was often either intentionally walked or pitched around.

“He didn’t have that many at-bats where he could hit,” Anderson said.

When he did get a pitch to hit, “he never missed one,” Anderson said. “He only had one at-bat (against Alabama) where he could hit, and got a double. He never missed.”

When Farrar was pitched around, that wasn’t a problem, since every other Troup player was pounding the ball as well.

“When they’d walk him, we’d say, good,” Anderson said. “That just gives us more base runners.”

Anderson said in his years of coaching, he’s never seen a player get hotter than Farrar.

“I can’t think of one,” he said. “He was hot last year (in the World Series), but he’s hotter now.”

Anderson said he has immense appreciation for the work the players, as well as the parents who he said “have been so helpful.”

‘They’re the ones who get them to practice, and it’s a lot of dedication to go to Atlanta for a state tournament, then travel here for this tournament. It’s a lot of dedicated people.”

That dedication extends to Anderson, as well as his assistant coaches, who did such a tremendous job getting these players ready.

At the end of the day, the best team clearly won.

Outside of the Game 1 blip, Troup did everything right.

The pitching was sensational, the guys made the routine and sensational plays alike in the field, and the offense was unstoppable.

It was a heck of a week, and a well-deserved championship.

Well done, guys, and good luck in Memphis.