On Saturday, when South Bibb and Troy met in the Dixie Youth State Machine Pitch Tournament, it was the defending state champions that came out on top.

However, while South Bibb may have put Troy on the brink of elimination over the weekend, Monday was a different story.

Thanks to key hits and tough defense, there will be a new state champion in 2010 as Troy took down South Bibb, 3-1.

“This was the best game we have played defensively all season long,” head coach Andy Blair said from the bus during the teams return home from Enterprise.

“The guys did everything right and in the end, it really made the difference.”

Offensively, Troy got off to a fast start, scoring two runs in the first inning, to take a 2-0 lead.

Both Payne Griffen and Ty Singleton came around to score for Troy after both reached base with singles.

The scored would remain 2-0 until the fifth inning when Brax Barron brought Trott Sikes home thanks to an infield grounder.

“I thought we were really hitting the ball hard (Monday night),” Blair said. “But so was Bibb County.”

“Our guys really played the best baseball they could and it feels great to be in this position,” the coach added.

Now, Troy is one win away from claiming the state title, which will take place today at 3 p.m. in Enterprise against either the Dothan American Blue team or Enterprise.

The winner of that game, which will be played at 11 a.m. today, will go on to face Troy in the championship game.

“Both (Enterprise and Dothan) are great teams,” Blair said. “And it just goes to show you how good this area is in baseball.”

“I thought we played great defensively on (Monday) and I think we have done a great job of hitting the ball all during the tournament. If we are able to put both of those two things together (on Tuesday), I think we have a great shot at winning,” he said.

At the plate, both Cole McWhorter and Sikes led the way for Troy as each finished 2-2.

Both Barron and Singleton finished 1-2 with an RBI, while Griffen also finished 1-2 with a run scored.

Gage Knighten, Will Sessions and Holden Hollingshead also each finished 1-2.

“It was a defensive battle,” Blair said. “But we did what we needed to do to win.”