By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

DALTON - A fifth consecutive dominant performance has propelled the Troup National 11-12-year-old all-star team into the championship series of the Dixie Youth Baseball state tournament.

Troup, which hammered Lee County 16-4 Tuesday evening, will play the winner of today’s game between Newton County and Albany International in the best-of-three championship series.

The first game of the series will be Friday at 6 p.m., and the teams will meet again Saturday at 10 a.m.

A third game, if needed, would be played 30 minutes after Saturday’s first game.

Troup National had no problem winning its eight-team bracket.

Troup has outscored its five opponents 61-6, and it beat Lee County, the second best team in the bracket, by a combined score of 26-4.

As assistant coach Kevin Howard pointed out, though, what happened in the previous five games doesn’t matter now.

“It boils down to you’re starting over at 0-0, and whoever wins the best two out of three goes to Louisiana (for the World Series),” Howard said. “I’m sure the boys will be ready for whoever they play.”

Tuesday’s game was more of the same.

Wyatt Frailey, who threw a no-hitter in Friday’s tournament opener against Lee County, gave up three hits while striking out six in five innings on Tuesday.

C.J. Gallatin pitched the final inning.

It was tight early, with Troup clinging to a 1-0 lead through two innings.

Frailey and Jake Farrar had back-to-back doubles to produce a first-inning run.

Troup took charge with five runs in the third inning to take a 6-1 lead, and Gallatin blasted a two-run home run in the fifth inning to extend the lead.

In a five-run sixth inning, Jackson Shelnutt hit a two-run home run.

It was Shelnutt’s first home run of the recreation season.

Farrar was a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and three singles, while Gallatin had a pair of hits.

Shelnutt had a double in addition to his home run.

“The kids are excited,” Howard said. “It has been a focus for a long time to get back to the World Series. We just have to get two out of three from whoever we play.”