Tarps are a pain to put out and even more of a pain to take up, but without them Saturday, high school baseball tournament directors would have been scrambling today to get back on the postseason track.

While all of the area tournaments were delayed by a couple of hours, only District 5-AAA was postponed, and that was more because of senior proms than the thunderstorms that rolled through the Chattanooga area Saturday morning. District 5-AAA will play two losers-bracket games this afternoon: Rhea County vs. Walker Valley at 2 and Cumberland County vs. Cleveland at 5.

Arts & Sciences and host Lookout Valley advanced to the 6-A winners-bracket final Monday with short-game wins — Lookout Valley in 41/2 innings over South Pittsburg and CSAS in six over Whitwell.

Left-hander James “Turtle” Dickson improved to 7-4, striking out 15 in the CSAS Patriots’ 10-0 win over the Tigers. Tyler Crowley and Hayden Turner combined on a three-hitter in Lookout Valley’s 19-4 win over the Pirates.

Dickson (7-4), who has struggled on occasion this season, allowed five hits.

“I think earlier it was getting used to a new coach,” he said. “I was going my way and he wanted me to go another. I have learned a lot.”

That new coach, former Chattanooga Lookouts standout and coach Greg Grall, said he and Dickson had reached an understanding.

“It was one of those situations where (Dickson) had been there three years under a different coach with a different philosophy,” Grall said. “We were both looking for the best results, and he and I made adjustments.”

Dickson used a fastball, a curve, a changeup and a knuckleball to limit the Tigers to five hits.

“My best pitch was the fastball. I kept it in the strike zone and got ahead in the count,” he said. “The knuckleball is more to keep hitters off balance.”

The Patriots have learned about being off balance. They have played tougher competition through the season to prepare for this tournament and a probable meeting with Lookout Valley.

“We’ve held our own with the big teams. We can play with anybody,” Grall said. “Some games we haven’t had the intensity, but I think we have the right chemistry at the right time.”

Sophomore Kyle West had the right mixture, getting three hits in three trips. Dickson, Zach Phillips, Lance Snider and Jared Fox each had two hits with Phillips, Snider and Fox getting two RBIs apiece.

Lookout Valley scored nine runs in the second inning and seven in the third before Yellow Jackets coach David Dinger began running in his younger players. Ian McDade was 3-for-3 and Crowley, Brandon O’Dell and Jon Barry each went 2-for-2. Marr and Corey Reagan were 2-for-3.