Columbus County’s Ryan McCleney (left) avoids a tag by Stanly County pitcher Daniel Tucker to score the final run in a five-run eighth inning surge Saturday that gave Columbus County a 9-4 victory and the 2007 North Carolina Dixie Majors Baseball championship at Legion Stadium. McCleney injured his hand on the play, but should be back in action Saturday when the North Carolina champions step into the Dixie Majors World Series Saturday at Florence, S.C. They will take on the Virginia champs in opening-round play.

Jordan Carter fires a three-hitter in Friday’s 7-2 win over Stanly County.

Columbus County’s Scott Stephens breaks from the batter’s box after connecting for one of his pair of two-run singles in Saturday’s 9-4 extra-inning win over Stanly County.

Columbus County All-Stars
2007 North Carolina Dixie Majors Baseball champions

By DAN BISER
Sports Editor

DeMichael Smith and Scott Stephens have never been known as home run hitters, but this past weekend both showed that there is plenty of pop in their bats.

Stephens’ first inning two-run homer on Friday, and Smith’s game-tying home run in the fifth inning on Saturday were both key elements for back-to-back Columbus County All-Star victories as they swept visiting Stanly County by scores of 7-2 and 9-4 for the North Carolina Dixie Majors (ages 15-19) Baseball championship at Legion Stadium.

Columbus County, which also got a pair of solid pitching performances from Jordan Carter and Ethan Ward as well as strong all-around play and leadership from Ryan McCleney, will open play Saturday at 6 p.m., in the 2007 Dixie Majors World Series at Florence, S.C. They will go against the Virginia champion in the opening round of play.

The Saturday victory came in extra innings after Columbus County trailed 4-0 in the fifth inning. Columbus County, coached by Joey Autry and T.J. Spivey, scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning to clinch the win.

Stephens, who along with Smith played baseball at Southeastern Community College this past spring, had a big series at the plate, collecting five hits, including his home run and a double in the first game, and seven runs batted in. In Saturday’s win, he came up with a pair of two-run singles.

McCleney, who played his freshman season at Barton College this past spring, had three hits, scored three runs, drove in three runs, stole two bases and reached base seven times. He had a double and a triple in Saturday’s win. Devon Brown also reached base seven times and scored four runs for Columbus County.

Carter, who has pitched the past two seasons at UNC-Pembroke, allowed three hits over 6-2/3 innings while striking out 10 batters in the first game on Friday. Carter developed a finger blister and was relieved by Ward with two outs in the sixth innings. Ward threw two pitches to strike out the final batter. Both Stanly County runs came in the first inning.

Ward struck out seven batters and allowed nine hits in picking up the mound win on Saturday. Dusty Duncan pitched the bottom of the eighth.

Columbus County also came up with some big late-inning defensive play, closing the seventh inning with a double play and getting another double play in the eighth inning when Justin Ward hauled in a fly ball in rightfield and fired home where catcher Zack Andrews easily applied the tag on Chase Pope, who had tagged up at third.

R.J. Lowder and Jordan Curlee each had two hits for Stanly County, which scored two runs in the first inning and two more in the second inning.

In the top of the fifth inning, Ethan Ward led off with a walk and Brown drew a walk one out later. With two outs, Stephens singled to bring home Columbus County’s first two runs of the game, and Smith followed with his two-run shot over the fence in right-center to tie the game.
Errors proved costly to Stanly in the top of the eighth as Donovan Watts and Andrews reached base on errors that scored the go-ahead and Ethan Ward followed with a single to load the bases. A fielder’s choicer grounder to third base by Justin Ward scored courtesy runner Kyle Canady wit the go-ahead run. McCleney followed and was hit by a pitch to load the bases and set the stage for another two-run single by Stephens. McCleney later scored from third base on a wild pitch, getting his hand stepped on after making a head-first dive at the plate.

“We came up with the big hits and the big plays when we needed them,” Autry said. “Our pitchers threw real well both days. The whole team battled hard.”

The Columbus County All-Stars had advanced to the state championship series after defeating Bladen County in best-of-three series a week earlier.

Bladen County won the opener 5-4, but Columbus County clinched the series with back-to-back wins of 11-4 and 10-7

While Columbus County has sent several Dixie Pre-Majors (ages 15-16) teams to World Series play over the past two decades, this will mark the first return of a Columbus County team to the Dixie Majors World Series since 1981.

Coach Autry took two Bladen County All-Star teams to Dixie Majors World Series play in the late 1990s.

Friday’s game
Stanly 200 000 0 - 2 3 2
Columbus 210 022 x - 7 7 0
Lowder and Thorpe; Carter, E. Ward (7) and Andrews.

Saturday’s game
Columbus 000 040 05 - 9 6 2
Stanly 220 000 00 - 4 9 4
E. Ward, Duncan (8) and Andrews; Austin, Morse (7), Tucker (*) and Thorpe.