By DAN BISER

RIEGELWOOD – The South Columbus All-Stars made history Tuesday night, becoming the first-ever North Carolina Dixie Youth Baseball O-Zone champions.

The South Columbus squad battled back from a 4-0 deficit to pull out a 5-4 seven-inning victory over the host Riegelwood squad in the championship game of the three-team double-elimination state tournament.

South Columbus, which won all three of its tournament games, got the winning run when D.J. Jeter’s bases-loaded single to centerfield with one out scored Matthew Lee from third. Sam Ward was the winning pitcher after relieving starter Reno Duncan in the third inning.

South Columbus will advance to the first-ever Dixie Youth O-Zone World Series, which will open Aug. 4 in Dothan, Ala.

Dixie Youth Baseball added O-Zone play this year, giving leagues options of playing on 70-foot bases with the pitcher’s mound 50 feet from homeplate. Conventional base-running rules are in effect, such as lead-offs, stealing and advancing on third strikes not caught by the catcher.

South Columbus, which had opened the tournament with a 5-3 win over Chadbourn and came back on Monday to defeat Riegelwood 8-3 on Monday, saw Riegelwood jump to a 3-0 first-inning lead on singles by Clay Bordeaux, Manuel Figueroa, Demetrius Anders and David Bridgers. Bridgers singled again in the fourth inning and scored on a single by Chad Malpass to give Riegelwood a 4-0 lead.

South Columbus, coached by Raymond Hilburn, Michael Hilburn and Donald Ward, put two runs on the scoreboard in the fourth inning on walks to Eric Long and Logan Simmons, a throwing error and single by Ward. South Columbus tied the score in the fifth inning on consecutive singles by Daniel Fowler, Jaden Caines, Eric Long and Jeter.

Jeter had two hits for South Columbus and Figueroa and Bridgers each had two hits for Riegelwood. Riegelwood had taken a 7-3 victory win over Chadbourn in Sunday’s game.

Chadbourn received the tournament’s Sportsmanship Trophy.