Midnight was on the horizon when Buckingham County’s All-Star team defeated the Charlotte County All-Stars 3-1 to conclude the end of a rain-interrupted opening day of the 2018 Dixie Youth Baseball Major League All-Star State Tournament on Friday in Dillwyn.

“Pitched the ball really well,” Buckingham Majors Manager John Toney said. “Hitting was a little off, but we’ll get it together, but pitching, Justin Gunter threw a swell of a game, and Cam Newton came in and closed it out for us.”

Because of inclement weather, Buckingham and Charlotte did not get started until around 10:15 p.m.

After two scoreless innings, Buckingham took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third and added one more in the sixth. Charlotte got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth.

Toney noted some standout play from his team on offense, praising “good base running by Nick Allen. Harrison Mitchell had a good pinch hit. Bubba Garceau with a double, he hit the ball well, and Cam Newton had one heck of a hit off the left center fence.”

Buckingham continues its run in the eight-team double-elimination tournament Saturday at 6 p.m. when it faces the Amelia American All-Star team.