SPANISH FORT, Alabama—Whether it’s baseball or backgammon, Daphne and Fairhope will make a horse race out of most any competition. As usual the AAA (9-10 Minors) Dixie Youth All-Star sub-district baseball tournament went the distance as Fairhope American and Daphne National met in the finals.

The Fairhope AL Minors edged Daphne’s NL team 4-3 in the deciding championship game at Spanish Fort’s Spirit Park Wednesday night. Both Eastern Shore teams and third-place Municipal American advance to the District 7 AAA tournament in Bay Minette Friday.

Daphne held off a late Fairhope rally in the first title game Wednesday to win 3-2 and force the deciding contest by handing Fairhope their first loss of the tournament. Fairhope had taken an 8-3 win over Daphne in the second round Monday.

Fairhope’s Gavin Millar took the 4-3 win on the mound in the nightcap with key middle-relief help from Laytin Durgin and closer Patrick Murphy. Fairhope threatened to take the lead in the first when Carter Antinarella and John Hunter singled back-to-back, but were stranded. But Fairhope scored the next at bat with two runs for Millar in the bottom of the second inning when Millar and Jay Loper drove in Carson Owens who had singled and Tyler Croy who had worked a walk for a spot at first base.

Daphne cut the lead in half in the top of the third when Dom Castronova doubled, moved to third on a hit by Gann Nobles and scored on an error.  Fairhope made it 3-1 in their half on an RBI single by Ryan Brown to bring in Hunter who had led off the inning with a single. But Trent Battle’s double for Daphne scored Grae Cole from first to trim the Fairhope lead to 3-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth.

Davis Cain then drew a one-out walk and Owens doubled Cain home to put the Fairhope club up by two again at 4-2. Jackson Achimon then reached on a one-out single, but was left on. The Fairhope lead then held at two runs until the top of the sixth.

That’s when Daphne’s Cole Stringfellow led off with a walk and Barton Elliot’s pass on balls moved Stringfellow into scoring position. Grae Cole then followed with with a SAC bunt to make it 4-3. But Murphy then got the final out for the Fairhope championship.

Daphne had to win twice Wednesday to claim the title since Fairhope had no prior losses.  Daphne forced the third and deciding game between the two teams after Kaden Pierce’s bunt single scored Sam Stewart and Battle to stake a 2-0 lead early in the matinee. Pierce then made it home on an error for the 3-0 Daphne advantage.

But Fairhope rallied with two outs in the sixth inning. Hunter and Durgin both singled and Antinarella doubled both men in to make it 3-2. But Daphne then held off the late Pirate AL surge for the win.