Andalusia shot out to a five-run lead in the first inning and held on late to beat Opp 15-9 to claim the 8 and under All-Stars District Championship Wednesday night at Johnson Park.

The Bulldogs, along with the Bobcats and East Brewton advance to the state tournament, starting next weekend at the Opp Sportsplex.

Opp’s Andrew Danford hit an RBI single and advanced to second on an error, which teammate Eli James scored on to cut Andalusia’s lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the second inning.

Andalusia’s Aidan Vines, who led the Bulldogs with three doubles on a 3-for-4 performance, knocked an RBI double to score Christian Walker with one out to start the third inning.

Vines later scored on an error, to which Trent Ziglar reached, and Ziglar later made it home on an RBI single from Frank Gafford to up increase Andalusia’s lead to 8-3.

Andalusia’s defense doused Opp’s hitting power in the bottom of the third, and the Bulldogs took advantage in the top-half of the fourth when it tacked on three runs to take a wide lead.

Dylan Jackson scored on an error; Garrett Blackston hit an RBI single; and Vines hit his second double to tally the scoring for the Bulldogs in the fourth. The Bulldogs put together another impressive defensive effort in the bottom half of the inning to hold Opp scoreless.

In the top of the sixth, Andalusia’s Britt Cotton scored on an error to make it 13-3.

Vines, who had two doubles already, launched his third double way in the outfield to score two runs with two outs to help the Bulldogs take their commanding 15-3 lead.

A few miscues on the Bulldogs’ part in the bottom of the sixth gave Opp an opportunity to cut Andalusia’s lead by half.

Opp’s Logan Boothe scored on an error, and Jake Coon followed with a two-run single to edge the lead to 15-6.

James added an RBI single and Prent Huggins hit a two-run single to end Opp’s scoring threat.

Andalusia made the final out in spectacular fashion as pitcher Connor Dalton caught the fly out.

When it was all over, Dalton put his hands in the air and his teammates joined him in a big pile to celebrate their win.

Robbie Gafford, Boothe, Coon and Danford had three hits each to lead Opp.

Blackston had three hits; and Jackson, Cotton, Walker, CJ Halford — who had a big triple in the fifth — and Dalton had two hits each to lead the Bulldogs.