The Covington County 8U All-Stars grabbed an early lead, but fell 7-4 to Hamilton Beach in the opening round of the double-elimination portion of the 2017 Babe Ruth 8U World Series on Wednesday morning in Jensen Beach, Fla.

In the top of the first inning, Alex Grimes ripped a one-out triple to the fence to get Covington County off and rolling in the opening frame.

Allyx Williamson followed with a double that plated Grimes for a 1-0 Covington County lead.

Marley Kilcrease then moved Williamson over to third with a single through the gap.

The Covington County All-Stars got another run in the inning when McKenzie Barrow drove in Williamson with a single.

The Hamilton Hurricanes got a pair a single to start the inning and then a one-out triple brought in their first run of the game.

Hamilton’s next batter hit a line drive back up the center of the diamond, but Barrow was there to snag it for the second out of the inning.

The next batter grounded out to Kilcrease at second base.

Adelaide Dunn led off the top of the second inning with a single and then moved around to second on single from Piper Bulger.

Hamilton then got a ground out and a double-play ball to end the Covington County threat.

To start the bottom of the second, the Hamilton’s McKenna Fisher hit a hard ground ball, but Williamson corralled the ball and tagged first for the out.

The next batter struck out, but then a two-out triple, followed by a single allowed Hamilton to tie the game 2-2 after two innings of play.

In the bottom of the third inning, Hamilton picked up five hits and plated three runs to take a 5-2 lead into the fourth inning.

Addyson Byrd got the Covington County All-Stars going when she laced a pitch to the outfield fence. Byrd turned on the afterburners as she motored around the bases for an inside-the-park-home-run.

Annlee Wise then came up with a one-out single with Dunn coming up to the plate.

Dunn hammered a triple to the fence that allowed Wise to score from first.

Heading into the bottom of the fourth, the Covington County All-Stars trailed 5-4.

The Hamilton Hurricanes then picked up a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 7-4 lead.

The Covington County All-Stars got a pair of base runners in the top of the sixth inning, but were unable to bring them around to score.

The Covington County All-Stars will play again today at 8 a.m.