LINDEN–The Demopolis 9-10 All-Stars are a win away from advancing to the District competition after another hard-fought victory at the Sub-district tournament in Linden.

This one came against a resilient Sumter County squad that came within one base hit of tying the 3-1 game in the top of the sixth and final inning. Despite starting the inning with two outs and no one on base, Sumter loaded the bases after Lane Oliver walked, Banks Hutchings put the ball in play and reached base, and Tyler Oates drew a second walk.

But Demopolis pitcher Wesley Anderson recovered to record his third strikeout of the inning and fifth of his two-inning performance. Anderson has now allowed only one run in six innings of work during the Tournament.

Demopolis had staked Anderson to the 3-1 lead with a big fourth inning rally, scoring all three of their runs in the ball game to overturn an early 1-0 deficit. T.J. Reese got on base with a perfectly-laid bunt for the infield single. An Anderson ground-out sacrifice advanced Reese to second before Demopolis strung together three consecutive two-out RBI hits: Tyler Charleston’s single, scoring Reese; Darreus Zanders’s double, scoring Charleston; and Bradley Simmons’s single, scoring Zanders.

That rally would be all the offense Sumter pitcher Oliver would allow. Oliver finished with a complete game, having pitched all five innings Sumter, the visiting team, took the field.

But thanks to the equally impressive Demopolis pitchers, Sumter could not muster enough offense to get Oliver the win. Sumter did take the early 1-0 lead in the second inning when Mitchell Fox came home with the game’s opening run. Fox had walked before Trey Holder doubled, moving Fox to third. He was forced home when Ryan Schroeder and Chris Sanders each drew a walk of their own.

Demopolis pitcher Darreus Zanders stopped the bleeding with an inning-ending strikeout of the next batter. The run was the first Zanders had allowed in his six innings of work in the tournament after shutting down Linden and Butler. Zanders was followed by Tyler Charleston, who pitched a scoreless third and fourth before giving way to Anderson. Between those three pitchers, who have thrown all 18 of Demopolis’s innings in the tourney, Demopolis has allowed opposing teams only five runs in three games for an ERA of 1.67.

Next up for Demopolis is the All-Stars from Butler, who lost 3-2 to Demopolis in the tournament’s second-round on Josh Mangum’s game-winning two-out-two-strike walk-off double. Butler would have to defeat Demopolis twice on consecutive nights to win the Sub-district tournament.

Members of the Demopolis 9-and-10-year old All-Star team are Tanner Cox, Jake Freeman, Wesley Anderson, Tyler Charleston, Darreus Zanders, Michael Brooker, Rob McCarter, T.J. Reese, Will Tucker, Colton Dodd, Josh Mangum, Bradley Simmons, and William Tutt.

Sumter County’s All-Stars are Blake dial, Brock Montgomery, Lane Oliver, Banks Hutchings, Tyler Oates, Madison Hendry, Mitchell Fox, Trey Holder, Ryan Schroeder, Chris Sanders, Skyler Browder, Kyle Gordy, and Austin Dirksen.