It was one last ride.

For years, Troup High graduate Brantly Robinson has been playing baseball alongside a group of close friends during the summer.

On Sunday, Robinson and his buddies were likely sharing the field for the final time, and they made it count.

The West Point 18-and-under all-stars beat a team from Alabama to win the Dizzy Dean World Series in Southaven, Miss.

“It was awesome,” said Robinson, who was a three-sport standout at Troup. “It was the last baseball tournament for most of us. We just tried to go and have fun.”

Robinson was joined on the team by Cam Gosdin, Colton Greathouse, Jackson Knox and Kenly Bridwell, all of whom played baseball at Troup.

Another team member, Seth Adams, didn’t play baseball at Troup, but he was a standout on the football team as an offensive lineman.

Chandler Lott, who helped lead Callaway to the state semifinals last season as a senior, was also a member of the West Point team.

“Most of these guys, we’ve played together all of our lives,” Robinson said. “That’s the only reason we played all-stars was to do it one more time. And we had a great time.”

West Point, which was representing Georgia, was competing in World Series along with teams from three other states.

In the best-of-five championship series, West Point swept South Vinemont (Ala.) in three games to win the title.

West Point won the first two games by scores of 12-1 and 9-1 to get within a victory of the championship.

In what turned out to be the final game, West Point beat South Vinemont 7-3 to clinch the title.

The team’s head coach was Rodney Greathouse, and the assistant coaches were Anthony Robinson and Thomas Anderson.

Each of them had sons on the team, and they’ve been coaching together for years.

“Anthony and I have been coaching together in one capacity or other since T-ball with these kids,” Greathouse said. “It was a great ending to their careers, so to speak. It was quite an experience.”

Greathouse added that “we feel like they’re all part ours in so many ways.”

After the series-clinching win, the players were treated to a celebratory dinner, and one of the West Point players came through with another victory.

Kenly Bridwell, who was a baseball and football star at Troup, took on a challenge where he had to eat a 3.5-pound hamburger and a side of fries in 15 minutes.

Bridwell made it happen.

“He ate it with 10 seconds left,” Greathouse said. “We had that whole restaurant over there clapping, and just carrying on. That was probably the most memorable moment for us having fun together.”

In the championship series, it was a pair of Troup graduates teaming up on the mound to send West Point to the 12-2 victory.

Brantly Robinson started and pitched five innings, and Seth Adams threw the sixth and final inning.

The game ended early because of the run rule.

In the second game, a 9-1 victory, two other Troup Tigers combined to get it done on the mound.

Cam Gosdin pitched five superb innings and struck out seven batters, and Jackson Knox struck out four in two innings to finish things off.

In the final game, Chandler Lott was on the mound, and he went the full seven innings as West Point won 7-3.

“Every pitcher that we threw out there pretty much shut them down,” Robinson said. “So it was good to have pitchers like that.”

Greathouse was the catcher for two of the games, and Lott was the catcher in game one.

Lott was the tournament MVP, and Robinson, Bridwell, Greathouse, Dylan Anderson and Preston Messer each made the all-tournament team.

Robinson led the team in hitting and was 10-of-13 at the plate, and Messer was 8-for-8.

Bridwell, Greathouse and Anderson each had seven hits.

TEAM MEMBERS

PLAYERS

Brantly Robinson, Chandler Lott, Colton Greathouse, Kenly Bridwell, Cam Gosdin, Dylan Anderosn, Preston Messer, Zaevion Jackson, Tyler Knight, Harrison Spivey, Seth Adams, Trevin Williams, Jackson Knox, Eli Freeman and RJ Evans

COACHES

Rodney Greathouse (head coach), Anthony Robinson and Thomas Anderson