DIXIE ALL-STARS: Beauregard 11-12s force rubber match with Opelika National

After being remarkably solid all night, both Beauregard pitcher Hank Scott and the defense behind him started to crack in the sixth inning against Opelika National on Tuesday.

Trailing by two runs, Opelika used a single, an error and a bunt single to load the bases with no outs.

“A base hit ties it up,” Beauregard coach Scott Meadows said. “But we talked on the mound and they dug in.”

Scott and his defense proved up to the challenge, as shortstop Hunter Hillyer snagged a line drive and Scott fanned the last two batters to secure a 4-2 win in the Dixie Majors (11-12) District 1 Sub-District 10 tournament.

After losing to Opelika earlier in the tournament, Beauregard has rattled off two straight wins to force a championship game today between the two teams at 6 p.m. at West Ridge Park. Both are already through to the district tournament.

“Everybody knows everybody, pretty much,” Meadows said. “It’s good to play like that, I enjoy it.”

With one ping of the bat and a leisurely stroll around the bases, Gabe Morgan gave Beauregard all it would need to ensure another matchup between the rivals.

Morgan came up with the bases loaded and one out in the second, and deposited the first pitch he saw well over the centerfield fence.

By the time Morgan had followed teammates Kane Garner, Dylan Smith and Cullen Senn to the plate, Beauregard had an early 4-0 lead.

“As soon as he hit it, I knew that was gone,” Meadows said. “He was due, he was 0-for-6 until that right there, I think. And he’s got the potential to do it every swing. He was just a little nervous. But he came through big tonight.”

Scott certainly looked like he was going to make the runs stick with his pitching performance. He took a no-hitter into the third and kept the Opelika batters guessing all game with his offspeed pitches, striking out nine.

“That was our intention going in, to keep them off-balance,” Meadows said. “We know fastballs, they were going to put in play. We were trying to throw the curve more, changeups here and there, just to differ up the timing.”

Opelika didn’t push a run across until starting pitcher Matthew Christian got ahold of a pitch in the fifth and put it on the grass behind the fence in left-center, scoring Chase Hegwood and cutting the deficit to 4-2.

Then, Winston Smith T started the Opelika rally with a line-drive single in the sixth before Kent Bugg and Bennett Whitman loaded the bases without hitting a ball past the pitcher.

But Beauregard regained its form just in time.

“It’s two good teams slugging it out,” Meadows said. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

Brandon Knowles was 2-for-2 for Beauregard, Garner had a double and Walker Meadows added a hit.

Besides Christian’s home run, Smith T, Bugg, Whitman and Barry Dudley had singles for Opelika.

dmorrison@oanow.com | 737-2568