On the final day of the World Series, they started with the closing ceremonies and each player was presented with a Championship ring. This was a nice way to reward all of the players for a great week of baseball. And, while the ceremony was a bit long, it was fun to watch each boy walk across the field and accept their ring. Of course, we made them reluctantly pose for a few more photos. They may not like it now, but one day they will appreciate the memories.
Following the ceremony, single elimination play began and we faced the #12 seed Georgia Warhawks. While they were a low seed on paper, we knew it was not going to be an easy game. Everyone saved their best and we made sure to come out with ours. Joey pitched all 5 innings and had to work through a tough strike zone. He still managed to get the job done and he helped himself out with his second home run of the season, followed by another home run from Jacobe. That was enough to give us a 5-4 victory and move on to the quarter-final bracket.
Game 2 would prove to be much more difficult. Because our last game went into extra innings, we only had 15 minutes to get to the field and face the #4 Seed Metamora Redbirds from Illinois. The boys were running out of gas and were not able to mount the offense necessary to pull out another win. With only 3 hits and one run, they lost 1-6, eliminating them from advancing to the next round.
Obviously, when they were finished playing, they were ready to head home. So, it quickly made sense why the closing ceremonies were done before the games started. I'm pretty sure the only teams left in the building at the end of the day were those who were still playing. Our boys were given the option to stay one more night or head to the hotel for one last pool party. No surprise... they chose the pool party! I know the coaches were happy to oblige.
The Bulldogs finished the tournament 5-2 with a 5th place finish. Considering the level of competition, we were very happy with the result. The two teams that beat us ultimately finished with the #1 and #2 spots. If you are going to lose, lose to the best! And that's it for the 12U Bulldogs. We are ready for a well-deserved break but we will be back next year for more Bulldogs Baseball!
We need to give a big shout out to Coach Lance, Coach Joel and Coach Jeremy for staying at the dorm all week with the boys. It was a lot to ask of them and they literally took one for the team. The Bulldogs will always remember this experience and they will be thankful (even if they don't say it out loud).
Comments