North Myrtle Beach Times Serving our Community and the Grand Strand for over 50 years
The Chiefs 12U player Kole Wilson was the fourth South Carolina team member to get special recognition for hitting a home run during the DYB World Series.
By John Smithson
The North Myrtle Beach Parks and Recreation Department’s 12U baseball team completed an undefeated run through South Carolina teams to win the state championship in July, then capped their amazing year with an undefeated trek through 11 other state teams to win the “O” Zone Diamond Youth Baseball World Series last Wednesday.
The Chiefs victorious win streak in the World Series started with a 7-3 pool game win over Georgia and was followed by a 4-2 victory over Virginia, a 2-1 win over Texas. 8-5 win over Alabama before the final three games last Tuesday and Wednesday at Lexington, S.C.
Rain forced the Chiefs into two games last Tuesday, the first game against Mississippi Tuesday afternoon. The Chiefs got off to a great start when Cam Shirley hit a two-out home run in the first inning for a 1-0 lead. Mississippi tied it at 1-1 but the Chiefs took advantage of walks to score six runs in the second inning to lead 7-1. They scored four more runs in the game, one on a Kole Wilson homer to win 11-1.
Jackson White pitched the last inning for the Chiefs and the game ended with a 6-4-3 double play. Carter DelConte had three hits in the game and he and Asher Goheen both drove in two runs.
That win meant one more game Tuesday evening, a semi-final game with Alabama under the lights. The Chiefs scored a run in the first inning and led 1-0. A walk with the bases loaded scored the Chiefs second run in the second inning. The Chiefs added another run in the third inning on a DelConte homer for a 4-0 lead. Virginia scored their only run in the fourth to make it 4-1, but the Chiefs got that run back in the bottom of the fourth for a 5-1 lead and added another run in the fifth for a 6-1 win.
The Chiefs were scheduled to play Mississippi Wednesday morning, but rain moved the game to early afternoon. Mississippi had to win two games to win the series, and the Chiefs needed just one win for the series title.
Kole Wilson was on the mound for the Chiefs and retired Mississippi in order in the top of the first. In the bottom of the first Jackson White walked and he scored on Cam Shirley’s double to right field for a 1-0 lead.
Grant Davis, pitching for Mississippi, struck out five Chiefs in the first three innings, but gave up a line drive homer over the left field fence by Wilson for a 2-0 Chiefs lead after three complete innings.
Wilson struck out the first hitter in the top of the fourth followed by a walk. Dean Skovinski made a nice running catch in right for the second out but a single to left drove in the first Mississippi run despite a relay throw by Shirley that Carsten Compher seemed to have as the runner slid home. The ball came out on the play and their only run of the game scored for Mississippi.
Unfortunately, Compher injured his arm on the slide and had to come out of the game. With runners on second and third Wilson struck out the last batter and the Chiefs led 2-1. The Chiefs then put the game away in the bottom of the fourth.
Shirley had an infield hit to third and then stole second and third with DelConte up. Delconte’s single to left scored Wilson. Walks to Batchelder, Campbell and Goheen and a passed ball scored two more runs for the Chiefs and they had a 5-1 lead going to the top of the fifth. Wilson retired Mississippi in order to set up the Chiefs last big inning of the series.
Shirley opened the bottom of the sixth inning with a double to the left field corner. DelConte singled to left, moving Shirley to third. Batchelder’s single to left drove in Shirley and Delconte moved to third. Campbell walked and a passed ball and fielder’s choice groundout by Goheen scored the eighth and ninth Chiefs runs of the game.
After Wilson got his tenth strikeout of the game in the top of the sixth, Shirley came into the game and recorded the last two outs, the last out a called third strike that had the Chiefs and coaches running around, gloves and hats tossed in the air, until they piled on each other near the mound.
They had done a remarkable thing – seventeen straight wins in a state championship/ World Series run. They had beaten any team that came their way, with excellent pitching, solid defense and four players who hit home runs in the series, two of those home runs were walk offs.
They had also won the series with only nine players still playing. Marvin Myers was hurt before the series and Donald Bean and Compher went down during the series. After a short celebration the Chiefs composed themselves, lined up along the base line and enjoyed the fruits of their labor. They individually received their championship medal and ring, and then holding the DYB 2025 World Series “O” Zone Champions flag, hoisted their trophy for all to see, just them and their coaches, a spectacular moment and lifetime memory for 12 rec kids from North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was after all the first ever championship and World Series win for the city’s recreation program.
