Andalusia did all it could do, played hard and never gave up in its 18-1 loss to Matthews, N.C. Friday night in the 2012 8 and under Cal Ripken Southeast Regional Baseball Tournament at Johnson Park.

“We’re playing outstanding baseball teams,” Andalusia 8U assistant coach Robert Jackson said. “We’ve just got to stay with it and go with it.”

Added head coach Shannon Glenn: “We just couldn’t get it going.”

Matthews scored four runs in the first inning to take a nice lead, and then added 11 runs in the second inning to pull way out of reach.

Andalusia’s Griffin Kennedy scored his team’s only run in the fourth inning.

Garrett Blackston led Andalusia and went 1-for-3.

For Matthews, Jackson Schoolcraft went 2-for-3; Shawn Paquette went 2-for-3; Kyle Bean went 1-for-3; and Will McKeehan went 1-for-3.

With this loss, Andalusia falls to 0-3 in pool play.

The host team will pick back up in action for its final pool play game at 11 a.m. against undefeated Fish Hawk, Fla.