The Selma Times-Journal

The test stage of the experiment is off and running.

Using a player-pitch format for the first time in more than two decades, the 9-10 year old league of summer recreation baseball will be an interesting thing to watch.

The year got off to a good start for the Cargill Cotton Dixie Youth baseball team after Saturday afternoon’s 4-3 win over Ross Plumbing.

“I think it’s going real well,” Cargill coach Eddie Ford said about the new format. “It’s going to take a little time, though, to get the pitching and catching down. I think it’ll probably go a little better once the players get that.”

Cargill led the entire game, but Ross made a two-out comeback in the bottom of the sixth and final inning.

Markese Hunter hit an RBI single to cut Cargill’s lead to one run, but a tie game wasn’t in the cards. A popout ended the first game of the season for both teams.

Ross had several runners in scoring position, but wasn’t able to take advantage of the chances they were given.

That is another challenge that comes with taking pitching duties out of the coaches’ hands.

“This loss was all my fault,” Ross coach Howard Davis said. “This is the first time in 25 years players have pitched, and they don’t know where to go when they’re running the bases. That’s something we’ve got to do a better job of teaching, and I take all the blame for that. But you’ll see us in the playoffs. This team won the championship last year, and half these guys were with me then.”

Cargill had already gotten four runs before Ross scored. Rayford Mitchell drove in the first two runs of the game on a double, and two more runs scored on an error and a passed ball.

Tristan Miles made Cargill pay for walking the bases loaded in the bottom of the first. He singled to bring one run in, and another came around after an error on the relay to make the score 4-2.

Ross loaded the bases with one out in the fourth, but the inning ended on a strikeout.