With the Dixie Youth Baseball playoffs on the horizon, it’s time for the teams hoping to make a splash in the postseason to learn to keep their heads above water.

Selma Trophy pulled a bit further ahead of the National League pack Saturday with a 15-1, four inning victory over Victor Nissan in 9-10-year-old action at the Sportsplex.

The win improved Selma Tire to 12-1 on the season, while Victor Nissan fell to 4-9.

Selma Tire stroke hit after hit in batting around in each of the first two innings in preparation for the playoffs, which begin June 12.

“We’ve been averaging 15 runs a game and we’ve played good defense,” Selma Tire head coach Rod West said. “In this league, if you hit the ball hard and play good defense, you’re going to win.”

Selma Tire took control of the game early. After setting down their opponents in order in the top of the first, Selma Tire tallied a six-run first inning.

The frame opened with singles by Jesse Harris and Rejadarious Thigpen, putting runners on first and third. Prince James followed with a single to right field to score Harris.

Antauris Smith followed with a solid smash that hit the second-base bag and ricocheted into center field, bringing home Thigpen. James scored and Smith went to third on a throwing error.

Allenson Johnson’s infield grounder scored Smith to make it a 4-0 lead. Jamarcus Hayes beat out an infield single and, one out later, scored on a triple to deep center field by DeAngelo Ray, who capped the scoring when he came in on a

single by Jermain Edwards.

Selma Tire again sent the allotted nine batters to the plate again in the second, with another six runs scoring. The inning was capped by Thigpen’s two-run single to center that plated Harris and Victor Roussell, both of whom along with Hayes also had run-scoring hits in the inning.

“The bottom of the lineup really came through for us today,” West said. “The whole bottom of the lineup has been helping us out all year. We’re trying to get everyone to hit the ball on a consistent basis in time for the playoffs.”

The winning team added three more runs in the third, highlighted by a two-run triple to center field by Harris, scoring Joshua Jackson and Joseph Bender. Ray, who started the inning with a one-out triple, scored the first run of the frame on Jackson’s solid single to right field.

Victor Nissan scored its only run of the game in the top of the fourth inning when Rajadevia Phillips tripled to the right-center field fence and scored on Jeffrey Hubbard’s sacrifice fly.