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By GREG AUMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 9, 2001
The Hernando Youth League's Dixie Debs saw their resilient run through the losers' bracket end Wednesday at the Dixie World Series in Spartanburg, S.C., with an 8-1 loss to Virginia.
The Debs, who opened play Sunday with a 12-0 loss to the same team, fell behind 4-0 in the first inning and never pulled closer, finishing third in a field of state champions from around the Southeast.
"You could just feel it slipping away," coach Dave Rags said. "We didn't make the plays in the first inning, and we played okay after that, but it's so hard to come back when you're down like that.
The Debs still had the honor of taking down the Florida state flag in centerfield after representing the state for the third season in a row.
"I'm so proud of every one of them," Rags said. "Even in the seventh inning, nobody gave up. There was no quit in any of them this week."
Hernando, which scored its run in the sixth, looked to have a rally started in the seventh when Kennah Johnson ripped a triple into rightfield with one out. But Virginia abruptly ended the Debs' run when Krystal Rags struck out and the Virginia catcher fired a throw to third, picking Johnson off to end the game.
The Debs, who won a Dixie World Series championship two years ago and finished third in last year's event, could return intact next season. The age group allows players up to 18 years old. None of this year's players is older than 16.
"It's so easy to win, but when you're behind, that's when you find out who the real players are," Rags said. "I know now that we have 12 players on this team."