EMERSON,
Ga. – One could say that the Georgia Legends were opportunists on
this particular championship Monday at the 2015 18u WWBA Memorial Day
at LakePoint event. Anytime they were handed a free base by way of a
walk, or given an opportunity by the 643 DP Athletics defense –
who committed five errors in six innings – they capitalized.
Throughout
almost every inning, the Legends were able to put at least one run
across the board, which really wore out the pitching staff of the
643 Athletics. The Athletics went to three different pitchers, but
none made the difference that they had hoped for, as the Legends
continued to scrape runs across the board line drive after line drive
until the game was over. The Legends came out on top, 11-3.
It
wasn’t that the Legends were hitting dinky bloopers that were
falling in the right place; they were hitting absolute shots down the
line. The speed on the basepaths played its part, as the Legends were
able to take extra base upon extra base each time that the Athletics
threw a ball away.
The
mistakes of the Athletics definitely played a role in this
championship game, but that is not to take away from the fantastic
performances that the players of the Legends had. Many players had
multi-hit days, but the player who shined brightest this weekend was
H.D. Dillard. Dillard earned the honors of MVP, and considering he
hit over .500 for the weekend, it is easy to see why. Dillard went an
astounding 8-for-15 throughout the tournament, with two doubles, four
RBI and five runs scored.
“This
spring season definitely helped to prepare me for this tournament,”
said Dillard. “A lot of us went pretty far in the playoffs and
that’s where we got to see a lot of quality pitching. I think for
me to be playing in such intense baseball leading up to this
tournament, I was able to relax and trust my ability more due to
having so many reps in the last couple of months. I really focused on
trying to not do too much at the plate this weekend.”
Dillard
was not the only one who received honors this weekend; Robert Knox
led the way for all pitchers by winning the Most Valuable Pitcher
award. Knox’s clutch performance in the quarterfinals of this
tournament did not go unnoticed, and it is what helped him to earn
this particular honor. Knox’s astounding performance in the
quarterfinals consisted of a complete game allowing only one earned
run and three strikeouts.
Knox
also showed fabulous command, only walking one batter, and his
performance helped the Legends to build momentum on the road to the
championship.
“I
just got on a roll and stuff was moving the way I wanted it to,”
said Knox. “I would say that my changeup was my go-to pitch this
weekend. Hitters just seemed to be thrown off balance by it, and I
was able to put it where I wanted in important counts.”
Coach
Ronnie Dillard was certainly impressed with his team’s performance
this weekend.
“We
have a good group of ball players,” Coach Dillard said after the
championship game. “They play at a high level, and have played at a
high level all their life. They have been very well coached
throughout the years, and they just know how to play the game.”
The
most special thing about the Legends claiming the WWBA Memorial Day
tournament title is that they have had little to no practice time
together. They simply came out here and played baseball the only way
they knew how to play it, clean and aggressively. The road was not
easy, as they barely snuck past the East Cobb Astros in the
semifinals, 3-1. Runs were at a premium in that game for the Legends,
but that was not the case in the title game.
Looking
forward, the Legends are going to try to feed off this tournament win
and attempt to continue the winning streak throughout the rest of the
summer.
“This
tournament was a good start, but we still have a lot of work to do,”
added Dillard. “We saw a lot of unbelievable competition this
weekend, and that will definitely help with gearing us up for the
rest of what should be a successful summer.”
2015 18u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint runner-up: 643 DP Athletics Cougars 18u
2015 18u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint MVP: H.D. Dillard, Georgia Legends
2015 18u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint MV-Pitcher: Robert Knox, Georgia Legends
643
DP Cougars handle business against Team Mission for 16u title
The
643 DP Cougars played consistent baseball this weekend, going
undefeated throughout the entire tournament to earn them the 16u WWBA
Memorial Day at LakePoint tournament championship. They secured their
title today with a 7-2 victory over Team Mission baseball. The
matchup of Team Mission and the 643 DP Cougars was certainly an
intriguing one, considering that both teams were undefeated when they
met this morning.
Both
teams displayed prolific offenses, putting up a plethora of runs in
most of the games that they played. Team Mission was a relatively
unheard of ball club before this weekend, but they definitely made a
name for themselves by handily beating each team they played up until
the championship. Unfortunately for them, the 643 DP Cougars were
on a mission and they refused to be denied.
Throughout
the weekend, the jerseys that donned the numbers 643 were seen in
every age bracket. Most of the teams that 643 DP had competing were
quite successful, but none were as successful as this 15u bunch that
impressed fans throughout the LakePoint complex with their fantastic
pitching and timely hitting. Specifically in this game, it was one
big inning that helped the 643 DP cougars to get the ball rolling
and secure their championship win.
The
second inning contained a string of hits off of Team Mission’s
pitcher Connor Sims and the 643 squad was able to get out to an
early six-run lead. They rode that lead all the way to the end, until
they were crowned champions.
Although
they were eventually crowned the event champion, their path to the
title was not an easy one. Both of the 643 Cougars’ playoff games
were two-run games. The close games were uncharacteristic of the
Cougars this weekend, but it made winning the championship that much
sweeter knowing that they had to work so hard to get to where they
ultimately wanted to be.
MVP
honors went to the Cougars’ Ryan Miller who went 8-for-15 on the
weekend with a mind boggling nine RBI and five runs scored. Ryan
accounted for a ridiculous amount of offense this weekend, thus
justifying his MVP trophy that he held proudly above his head today.
“A
lot of hard work and dedication went into this weekend,” said
Miller after the game. “Getting focused before the game really
helped me to get ready for these games. I think this tournament win
is a big step for us, and I was glad that I was able to contribute”
The
MV-Pitcher award went to Team Mission’s Joseph Blankenship.
Blankenship was a big part of the reason that Team Mission made it to
the championship this weekend. Blankenship’s impressive masterpiece
against the No. 1 seed in the quarterfinals of the playoffs consisted
of a complete game shutout, in which he stuck out seven and only
walked one.
“My
off-speed was what was really working for me this weekend,”
Blankenship said of his performance. “They were getting ahead on
my fastball, so I decided to switch it up with my curveball. Then,
towards the end of the game, they had that off=speed in the back of
their mind, so I was able to blow them away with the fastball.”
The
643 DP Cougars and Team Mission were dominant throughout this
tournament, and they hope to build off the success they experienced
this weekend the rest of this summer. Coach Jerry Slutsky of the
Cougars, was thrilled with his team’s winning performance,
especially given the stage and how early it is in the summer. Coach
Slutksy and the rest of the coaching staff at 643 DP like to
instill a sense of family in their teams in hopes that the kids learn
to rely on each other when the going gets tough.
“The
kids were all leaning on each other,” said Slutsky. “The pitchers
were handing the ball off to each other and everyone was challenging
each other to raise the bar higher each game.
“We
go out to win every single tournament, and its fun to start off the
summer with a win. Perfect Game tournaments always have strong
competition, but our guys were up for the challenge. It’s always
fun to win and we hope to continue that trend.”
2015 16u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint champions: 643 DP Cougars Montgomery
2015 16u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint runner-up: Mission Team Baseball
2015 16u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint MVP: Ryan Miller, 643 DP Cougars Montgomery
2015 16u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint MV-Pitcher: Joseph Blankenship, Mission Team Baseball
East
Cobb Astros offense overpowers 643 DP Jaguars for 14u title
The
East Cobb Astros 14u team is filled with young talent and potential,
and that was shown on their undefeated route to the 14u WWBA Memorial
Day at LakePoint championship. The Astros combined unstoppable
hitting, cool headed composure, and a great pitching staff in order
to beat the 643 DP Jaguars in the championship by a score of 10-6.
This
championship provided a good amount of drama, due to the game being
so back and forth, and both teams pulled out all of the stops when it
came to their pitching changes. Multiple pitchers were used by both
teams, and there was a heavy amount of run scoring. In fact, both of
the teams felt, coming into the game, that it was going to be a low
scoring affair, but it turned out to be the opposite.
The
excitement of this championship was felt by all, and once the final
out was called, the fans of the East Cobb Astros could finally let
out a sigh of relief. Even in the final half inning of the game, one
was not sure what the outcome of this game would be. At one point,
there were bases loaded for the 643 DP Jaguars, with the tying run
at the plate. Luckily for the Astros, their bullpen did not fold
under pressure and got them out of the jam. The energy was electric
for this 14u championship game, and is sure to provide great memories
for everyone involved.
The
East Cobb Astros relied mostly on the bat of the tournament MVP,
Chayce Bryant. In today’s championship, Bryant had two key hits,
and overall he went 12-for-20 (.600 average) with two doubles, 10 RBI
and three runs scored. One could say that he was playing like a man
possessed.
“I
knew that the wood bats don’t do as much as the metal bats that I
use in the spring, so I was just trying not to be tense and stay
middle and away with the balls that I was squaring up,” said
Bryant. “My coaches working with me in the cages gave me
confidence, and when I got to the plate, I just knew to have faith in
myself”
Pitching
wise, the Astros used Caleb Reis to the best of his ability. Reis
earned the honor of MV-Pitcher this weekend, and his outing in the
quarterfinals is what cemented his dominant status. Reis threw
complete game shutout in the quarterfinals with eight strikeouts
against the No. 1 overall seed, the EvoShield Canes.
“In
terms of preparation, I was just trying to do my best to stay loose
and healthy. A lot of icing and bullpen sessions went into preparing
for this tournament,” said Reis. “My fastball was great this
weekend, and my slider was diving in to the righthanded batters, but
I really think my curveball was my out pitch. No matter what count,
my curveball seemed to be working”
The
East Cobb Astros didn’t have to sweat much in the playoffs leading
up to the championship, handling the aforementioned EvoShield and the
Carolina Vipers pretty easily; both of the games included great
pitching, for the Astros, considering that they held both of their
opponents to one run or less.
All
the way around, the Astros did an outstanding job between the lines
and rightfully earned the title. Led by Coach Dave Roberts, the
Astros are a 14u team that many opponents fear when they see their
name on the schedule. Coach Roberts is proud of this bunch, and has
high expectations for them moving forward. Upon preparation for this
tournament, Coach Roberts stressed error free baseball and trying to
drive the ball to all parts of the field.
“Wood
bat tournaments are about pitching and playing defense,” said
Roberts. “Most games are low scoring games, so to play error free
baseball gives you the best chance at winning.
“This
tournament was a nice experience. We’re just getting back everyone
from high school baseball, and I thought they really came together
and made some improvements. The teams we played were really good,
especially some of the local teams.”
The
Astros hope to keep improving throughout this summer and plan to live
up to the reputation of East Cobb Baseball as they continue their
winning ways.
2015 14u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint champions: East Cobb Astros 14u
2015 14u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint runnerup: 643 DP Jaguars
2015 14u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint MVP: Chayce Bryant, East Cobb Astros 14u
2015 14u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint MV-Pitcher: Caleb Reis, East Cobb Astros 14u
