MARSHALL, Texas - A team from Texarkana was going to earn the 19u Dixie State championship.
The Texarkana Bulldogs defeated the Texarkana Sticks, 14-8, in the second game of a 3-game baseball series to earn a trip to the Dixie Majors World Series in Ozark, Ala.
In Game 1, the Bulldogs defeated the Sticks, 9-3.
Bryson Rhodes hit an RBI single up the middle to give the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead in the third. A run scored on a fielder's choice to pad the lead, 5-3. Another scored on an error. Marzavin Riles hit an RBI double to make it 7-3 in the top of the third.
Zane Dodson singled and later scored on an error for the Sticks to make it 7-4 in the third. Braden Hlavinka walked with the bases loaded to inch the Sticks closer, 7-5. Tucker Anderson smacked a sacrifice fly RBI for the Sticks to make it 7-6 after three full innings.
Kris Shumaker blazed in a 2-run double to right center to give the Bulldogs a 9-6 lead in the fourth. Bradley Bearden hit a double down the right-field line for an RBI to pad the Bulldogs' lead, 10-6.
Chris Sutton was hit by a pitch, took second on a stolen base, reached third on a wild pitch and scored on a fielder's choice to give the Bulldogs an 11-6 edge.
Hlavinka belted solo home run to center in the fifth for the Sticks as they drew closer, 11-7.
Josh Brown's RBI single in the sixth for the Sticks cut the Bulldog lead down to three runs, 11-8.
Three consecutive walks loaded the bases for the Bulldogs in the seventh. A run came across on a fielder's choice to make it 12-8. Rhodes walloped a 1-run double to right center to increase the lead, 13-8. Bearden's sacrifice fly RBI made it 14-8.
Zane Dodson walked with the bases loaded for the first run of the game to put the Sticks up, 1-0, in the first.
Colbey Johnson laced in a 2-run single past the shortstop to give the Sticks a 3-0 lead.
Bryson Rhodes scored on a wild pitch for the Bulldogs to make it 3-1 in the second. Chris Sutton smacked a 2-run single to knot it at 3-all. Courtesy runner Hunter Allen scored.
Allen was running for Shumaker got on with a bloop single to left center. Riles, who had singled, also scored.
Cooper Perry got out of a bases loaded jam after giving up back to back singles to Noah Bristow and Braden Hlavinka and walking Tucker Anderson.
Perry got a strike out and induced a ground ball to get out of the jam in the second.