Beaufort gets up early in Dixie Youth baseball play before weather strikes

After experiencing nothing short of a miracle the day before, Bluffton's 14-and-under all-star team saw God's hand again take hold of Thursday's Dixie Youth Sub-District 8 title game against Beaufort -- just not in the way either team expected.

Heavy rains and lightning postponed the championship match between the two teams at Burton Wells Recreation Complex, but not before Beaufort jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first two innings.

The game will resume at 4 p.m. today at Burton Wells.

Bluffton now must cook up another comeback to avoid a second game.

"After what our kids did the other night, I feel pretty safe that we can come back (today) and win this thing," said Bluffton coach Dobbie Green, whose team erased a 12-run deficit in Wednesday's 25-17 victory against Hilton Head. "We've scored 36 runs in two games, so two runs shouldn't be a problem."

But it was errors, not runs, that served as Bluffton's problem in the opening inning Thursday.

With runners on first and third base due to fielding miscues, Beaufort's Joe Fields scored the game's first run when Bluffton botched an attempt to thwart a double steal.

Cody Beasley extended the lead to 2-0 with an RBI single that scored Clint Smith in the top of the second.

Pitcher Shane Goude was dominant in protecting Beaufort's lead.

"Shane was on his 'A' game, and if we keep playing good defense, we're going to be OK," Beaufort coach Roy Green said.

Another day of rest likely bodes well for Beaufort, which must beat Bluffton twice to capture the district title and secure a spot in next week's region tournament in Charleston. Should Bluffton's all-stars rally back and win the first game, the championship is

theirs.

"The rain helped because it gives our ace, Joe Fields, some more time to rest for the second game," Roy Green said. "It also helps our closer, David Potts, who hasn't allowed an earned run in our last six games."

Still, the odds remain on Bluffton's side, as it already beat Beaufort, 11-0, on Monday and stands as the only undefeated team in the tournament.

"We need to tighten up our defense and put the ball in play," Dobbie Green said, "and those are both things that I've seen our boys do time and time again."