By Brad Greer
The Batesville nine- year old baseball team defended their 2016 Dizzy Dean  Summer Bash crown by winning four games over the weekend at J.P.Hudson Park.
The Red Sox cruised through pool play Friday night with wins over Horn Lake (10-1) and Senatobia (12-1) before edging Horn Lake (3-2) in the semi- final round Sunday then blasting Water Valley (11-3) in the championship game.
Batesville wasted little time jumping on Water Valley as they scored seven runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back, adding one run in the third and three more in the fourth.
Logan Pratt and Caleb Johnson scattered three hits over five innings as the Red Sox offense generated eight hits off three Water Valley pitchers.
Pratt surrendered one run and a hit over four innings on the mound while striking out 11 and walking two batters.
Johnson worked the final frame, giving up a pair of singles and fanning a batter.
Malakai Strawbridge singled twice and scored a pair of runs for Batesville.
Pratt doubled twice and also scored two runs. Rowan Baker and Jadon Dishmon added RBI singles while Braden “Buck” Moore, Johnson and Cam Moore all provided singles.
Batesville- 3 Horn Lake-2
 Unlike their first matchup Friday night, Batesville found itself in a dogfight against Horn Lake Sunday morning.
The Sox trailed 2-0 in the fourth before plating three runs in the bottom half of the frame that proved to be the winning margin.
Cam Moore walked with one out before Pratt unloaded a triple to center to make the score 2-1. Pratt then raced home on a wild pitch that tied the game at 2-2.
Caleb Johnson followed with a walk before advancing to third on two stolen bases and scored the winning run on a throwing error by the Horn Lake catcher.
Gage Bryant got the pitching nod and went three innings, striking out four and walking two.
Pratt also tossed three innings of relief, giving up two runs, one hit and striking out six batters.
Batesville-12 Senatobia-1  
A big seven-run third inning guided the Sox in Friday’s opening round game. Bryant drove in three runs with a single and double while Pratt also added a single and double. Cam Moore provided a two-out RBI double in the second that scored Austin Alexander. Jay Havens chipped in with a third inning single.  Caleb Johnson scattered three hits in two innings of work on the mound while Bryant closed out the game with one inning pitched.
 Batesville-10 Horn Lake-1
The Red Sox eased past Horn Lake with a seven-run first inning as Johnson provided a triple and Caylen Wardlaw singled to start the uprising. Johnson and Havens  also contributed with singles. Pratt struck out five of the seven batters he faced in two innings before Cam Moore surrendered one run in the third.