submitted photo The Meridian Muddawgs 10-and-under all-star baseball team recently won the USSSA state championship at Madison. Picture front row, left to right: Cole hurst, Braxton Lee, John Ross Briggs, Hunter Garrett and Tyler Miller. Middle row, left to right: Lane Gordon, Chance Denson, Noah Smith, Hunter Marlow, Luke Harper and Kellen Spann. Back row, left to right: coach Scott Garrett, coach Chuck Gordon and coach Jody Hurst.

    When Chuck Gordon was asked to become the head coach for the Meridian Muddawgs 10-and-under all-star baseball team, he told his golf buddies he would be gone from the links for a year because he wanted to devote all his energies to this team of youngsters.

    Apparently, his team showed the same commitment to the task of winning a state championship as they bested elite all-star teams from all across the state this weekend to bring home the championship trophy.

    “I could not be more pleased with the way these kids gave everything they had to win this tournament,” said Gordon. “They did everything we asked of them without question and played as a team. No one person was responsible for this. Everyone contributed greatly to this title and I’m deeply proud of them.”

    The Meridian Muddawgs winning streak at the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) State Tournament that began in Madison Thursday was highlighted by clutch pitching, outstanding defense and timely offense as the Muddawgs averaged scoring 10 runs per game while limiting the opposition to only four. The domination culminated in the beating of the Performance Sports Academy Sox Gold (Jackson) team twice, once on Saturday, 12-3, and once on Sunday in the title game, 8-5.

    “These were the best of the best in terms of young baseball players from cities and towns all across the state,” Gordon said.

    On Thursday, the Muddawgs defeated the North Mississippi Stix 13-7. This set up an early tournament showdown between the Meridian club and the #1 seed, Southhaven’s Mississippi Black Sox. In this game Gordon got to see the kind of fight his club would showcase throughout the tournament as they put on a clinic in pitching and defense to help three pitchers share in a no-hitter.

    Lane Gordon, the ace pitcher in the team’s rotation, teamed with Kellen Spann and Luke Harper to totally shut down the Black Sox bats with the only runs given up on steals to home plate. Gordon said it was a team performance against a quality club that convinced him they had the makings of something special.

    “Lane and Kellen came in to give us quality innings from the mound and Luke finished that up by striking out the side to go into the next round,” Gordon said. “That was huge for us.”

    Gordon said the offense provided by Cole Hurst, Hunter Marlow, Hunter Garrett, Braxton Lee, Chance Denson and Tyler Miller kept the opposing pitchers off balance and runners seemingly always in scoring position. Gordon said no matter where you put them in the lineup, the kids would produce runs.

    On Friday the Muddawgs had to face another test in going up against the home-standing Madison Cardinals. The Cardinals were coming off a stellar performance after annihilating their previous opponent 16-1. But the Muddawgs were ready.

    Behind the steady pitching of John Ross Briggs and Noah Smith, the Muddawgs pounded out hit after hit and clipped the wings of the Cardinals, 10-4.

    Saturday’s game against PSA Sox Gold, the only other undefeated team besides the Muddawgs, promised to be exciting but it turned out to be anti-climatic as the Meridian Club pounding them 12-3. That put PSA into the loser’s bracket on Sunday. Winning their loser’s bracket game, PSA wanted to take two from Meridian and get the trophy instead. Gordon said his team was as ready as ever for the challenge.

    The Muddawgs continued their dominance over the Sox with a convincing 8-5 win for the championship.

    “We just put together a string of outstanding pitching performances from the kids especially since Lane Gordon couldn’t pitch after the no-hitter,” Chuck Gordon said. “Everybody stepped up and made this championship happen.”