EMERSON, Ga.
– The Double Day Rockies, led by Coach Charles Culberson, were
optimistic going into their first major tournament of the summer – the 2015 16u Memorial Day at LakePoint event – however, they were not anticipating their bats to do this much damage. Their
offense looks to be in mid-summer form, scoring nine runs in their
first game, seven in their second, and 10 in their third. While the
offense was certainly a key factor in terms of them advancing out of
pool play with an undefeated record, the importance of their run
scoring was magnified in their first round game on a beautiful Sunday
at the LakePoint complex in Emerson, Ga.
Maybe
the reason behind their offense is clicking so early into the summer
has something to do with the fact that these guys have been playing
together for multiple years.
“We’re
based out of Rome, Ga., and all of us pretty much live in that area,”
said pitch Sam Seaman. “We’ve played for about three years
together, and about 90 percent of the team is from the same high
school. We all gel, and we’re all one team. We hang out together,
and we just have really good team chemistry.”
The
team chemistry was certainly apparent and necessary in today’s game
against the Ninth Inning Royals; considering they were down by a
hefty amount of runs in the waning innings of an intense elimination
game. Instead of collapsing and pointing fingers like some teams
would in a do or die circumstance, they banded together, and came
back with a barrage of runs to take the lead in the sixth inning.
They
stayed within their ability and did not try to do too much at the
plate; playing off the inconsistent relief pitching of their opponent
by drawing walks and hit by pitches in order to get the runners that
they so dearly needed on base. Once the runners were on base, just as
they had done throughout the first three pool games, they let their
bats do the rest. Timely hitting helped them with their insurance
runs, but what may be possibly more impressive than the late run
scoring is the relief performance by pitcher Sam Seaman.
“I
felt like my fastball was running up and in on them a lot, and they
were swinging and missing most of the time, so I really think that
was my best pitch of the day,” Seaman said of his performance. “The
curveball helped to throw them off balance, but when my back was
against the wall, I knew that my fastball was my go to pitch.”
Anyone
in the stands could tell that Seaman’s fastball was overpowering on
this particular day, sitting in the low-80s with excellent location.
Seaman was thrown into a high pressure situation, knowing that his
team was facing elimination and that it was imperative for him to
keep the Ninth Inning Royals’ offense dormant if they were to have
any chance to get back in the game.
“Sam’s
performance was huge,” Coach Culberson said of Seaman. “We were
down in the game at the time, and he throws the ball a bit harder
than my starter, so I decided that it was a good switch up. He kind
of got things going for us and allowed us to get some momentum in
order to get back in the ball game.”
“I
was nervous, but I was ready,” Seaman responded when asked about
the pressure he felt. “I just gave all glory to God, and after
that, I knew everything would go well”.
Today’s
first round game for the Double Day Rockies was definitely a nail
biter, but that did not take away from the fun that these kids are
experiencing.
”The
kids are having a great time, winning is always fun,” Culberson
added. “There are ups and downs, but as long you compete, and don’t
quit, that’s when the fun comes in.
“They
love baseball. We try to teach them go out there, give it their all,
and the love of the game will take over. As a club, we like to take
it one game and one tournament at a time. We’re optimistic as we
continue through the playoffs, but we don’t get ahead of ourselves.
We just want to get it done one game at a time.”
As
this Memorial Day weekend is coming to a close, the pressure and
expectations are building for the few remaining teams in the
tournament. The philosophy of taking the games as they come seems to
be working for the Double Day Rockies. The Rockies are hoping to use
their close first round victory as motivation in their upcoming
playoff game at 2:45 p.m. against the undefeated No. 2 seed 6-4-3 DP
Montgomery squad. As long as they continue the clutch relief pitching
and timely hitting, their chances look good.
Stay
tuned for more, as all roads lead to an exciting finish here in
Emerson.