The 2018 Virginia Dixie Youth Baseball Machine Pitch State Championship trophy will have Lunenburg County for a home. The boys making up the Lunenburg County Youth Baseball League (LCYBL) Machine Pitch All-Star team this year faced down the challenge posed Wednesday in South Hill by the Charlotte County All-Star team to win 7-3, remain undefeated, claim the state championship and clinch a berth in the World Series.

“I’m just proud of them,” Lunenburg All-Star Manager Brian Nowlin said of his players. “… These kids, they’re really tough kids, and they work hard, they listen, and at this age, sometimes that’s hard to find.”

The LCYBL All-Stars (10-0) have routed many opponents during their five-game runs in the District 5 and state tourneys, but they have also been involved in competitive games and handled adversity well. Wednesday’s battle between Lunenburg and Charlotte — the third time the two teams have met this summer — tested Lunenburg significantly.

The LCYBL boys trailed 3-0 through three innings before putting together a four-run rally that they added to with a run in the fifth and two in the sixth.

The 2018 Dixie Youth Baseball Machine Pitch AA World Series in Lumberton, North Carolina, features 12 teams and begins Saturday, July 28. The event will start with pool play, featuring teams divided equally into four different pools. Lunenburg, representing Virginia, will play in a pool with Tennessee and the host team, Lumberton.

For more information on the LCYBL All-Stars’ state championship win and World Series berth, see next week’s edition of The Dispatch and this website.