Troy’s American Legion Post 70 team rallied to blank Florence 10-0 in the state championship game this weekend, earning a berth in the August regionals.

“It was definitely a tale of two games,” Coach Rush Hixon said.

Troy had faced Florence on the first day of the tournament, losing 5-2 in what Hixon called a “flat” performance.

“We knew it wasn’t a must-win game so we pitched down in the rotation to save some of the guys,” Hixon said. “And we just came out flat.”

In Sunday’s championship game, though, the Troy team came to win.

“We went with our best superstar pitcher and the bats were there,” Hixon said.

Parker Warren, a signee with Chipola Community College, gave up only one hit. “Well, it should’ve been a no-hitter,” Hixon said. “There was an infield play that was really close at first, and they called it a hit.”

Hixon said Warren’s dominating performance gave Post 70 an edge, and the team took advantage at the plate.

“I think as a team we had 12 hits in the championship game.

“As a whole, everyone tallied in that win.”

And if a tournament MVP award had been presented, John Miller would have received it.

“He plays right field for us and he hit the ball really well,” Hixon said. “He went 5 for 6 on the first day and had three hits in the championship game. If there had been a tournament MVP, it would have been him.”

Troy went into the championship game with a 3-1 record, having defeated Bessemer 17-7 during pool play; Selma 13-3 on Saturday; and Tuscaloosa 13-6 in the semi-finals.

“They really came out to play in the championship game,” Hixon said. “It was a really exciting day.”

The regionals will be Aug. 3-7 in Asheboro, North Carolina. Teams competing include Alabama, Georgia, Florida, West Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. The winner will compete in the American Legion World Series in Shelby, North Carolina.

“This is the first team to go to a regional since we brought the (Legion) program back four years ago,” Hixon said.

“I’m proud of these guys.”