By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

COCHRAN – When the dust cleared and the final out had been recorded, there was absolutely no doubt as to the identity of the best team.

The Troup National 9-10-year-old all-stars overwhelmed Greene County 10-1 on Sunday afternoon to win the Dixie Youth Baseball state championship.

Combined with pool play the previous weekend, Troup went 6-0 in the state tournament, and it won each of those games by at least five runs.

Including the district tournament, Troup is 10-1 this summer, and it will carry a nine-game winning streak into the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series in August.

“Those kids, they keep getting better and better,” said Jason Willis, Troup’s head coach. “It’s amazing how far a lot of them have come.”

The state tournament began with eight teams, and they were divided into two four-team pools.

Troup National went 3-0 to win its pool and advance to the double-elimination portion of the tournament.

Troup beat Putnam County 8-3 on Friday, and it then beat Putnam 9-2 again on Saturday to get within one victory of the title.

Greene County beat Putnam County on Saturday afternoon to earn a spot in the championship game against Troup.

By winning Saturday’s first game, Troup was able to sit back and relax while Greene County and Putnam played a hard-fought game in the scorching sun.

“Getting that bye was huge (Saturday) afternoon, pitching-wise,” Willis said. “They had to scrap through another game and burn a lot of pitching, so I thought that was huge for us.”

Greene County struck first in the championship game, scoring a run in the top of the first, but Troup surged ahead with four runs in the second inning.

Troup broke it open with seven runs in the third inning, and the game ended after four innings because of the run rule.

“We just exploded, and everybody was hitting,” Willis said. “It was a lot of fun.”

When Troup got the third out of the top of the fourth inning, the well-deserved celebration was on, with coaches, players and family members enjoying the moment.

“It’s great to see them smile and having fun,” Willis said. “The parents, they love it. It’s the greatest thing.”

Willis added that “it’s just a bond you build with these kids, playing together. It’s memories that will last a lifetime, and you’re making friends you’ll never forget.”

In Sunday’s championship game, Troup banged out 10 hits in three innings.

Brady Willis had three of those hits, Kaiden Russell had two hits and three RBIs, and Cason Spears had two hits and an RBI.

Chase Mosley had a hit and two RBIs, Nolan Haines had a hit and an RBI, Cass Fuller and Kaleb Woodson each had a hit, and Blake Miller had an RBI.

Kaleb Woodson pitched the four-inning complete game.

In Saturday’s 9-2 win over Putnam County, Troup surged to a 5-0 lead after the first inning, and it didn’t let up.

Chase Mosley was the starting pitcher, and he threw three solid innings to get the win.

Torreion Delaney threw three scorless innings to finish it.

Offensively, Cason Spears had two hits and two RBIs, and Torreion Delaney had three hits.

Chase Mosley and Brody Swanson each had a hit and an RBI, and Cass Fuller drove in a run.

Mosley and Swanson also each walked twice, and Cass Fuller, Nolan Haines and Woods Carter reached on walks.

In Friday’s 8-3 victory over Putnam County, Troup started quickly as well with five runs in the first inning.

Troup was ahead 8-0 when Putnam scored three runs in the top of the fifth.

Brady Willis had two hits and two runs scored, Kaleb Woodson had a hit and two RBIs, and Brody Swanson drove in a run.

Torreion Delaney, Cass Fuller and Woods Carter each had a hit, and Fuller, Woodson and Swanson each walked twice.

Three Troup pitchers combined to throw a six-hitter.

Kaleb Woodson scored and pitched three scoreless and hitless innings while striking out five. After Brody Swanson pitched two innings, Torreion Delaney worked a scoreless sixth inning to finish it.

TEAM MEMBERS: Chase Mosley, Kaleb Woodson, Brady Willis, Brody Swanson, Torreion Delaney, Cason Spears, Nolan Haines, Kaiden Russell, EJ Facille, Blake Miller, Cass Fuller and Woods Carter. Jason Willis is the head coach, and the assistants are Charles Mosley and Jerry Willis.