June 27, 2007 – COOPERSTOWN, NY – For nine weeks during June, July and August, Ninety-six 12U teams from around the country (including Hawaii) converge on Cooperstown New York every week to compete in one of the premiere baseball tournaments in the country.  Every player and coach that attends is inducted into the A.Y.B.H.F. (American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame) and receives a commemorative ring.  Being the so called birthplace of organized baseball (Doubleday Field) and the location of the MLB Hall of Fame, the environment for this tournament is very special.

    
To add to the overall experience the players and coaches spend almost every minute together.  They sleep in bunkhouses, eat in the dining tent, practice in the batting cages, warm-up in the practice area or play on one of twenty-two manicured fields for the entire week.  Other than the games, every activity is within the Baseball Village and no one other than players and coaches are allowed to enter.
  

The week started on Saturday the 23^rd with opening ceremonies and skills competitions.  After the parade of teams on to the Championship Field #3, the preliminary rounds for each skill took place.  Eric Smith represented the Red Sox in the Golden Arm; Blake Edwards in the Road Runner, Patrick Busscher in the King of Swat and the remaining players participated in the Around-the-Horn Plus competition.  Although we did not necessarily excel as a team, Patrick made it to the final round in the King of Swat competition and finished tied for fifth overall.  Blake also did well in the Road Runner competition and finished in the top twelve out of ninety-six teams.  With this done, it was time to start playing baseball!

The Red Sox first game was against the Cincy Flames, which is one of the top teams from the Cincinnati Ohio area.  This was a tough game that could have gone either way.  Both teams had strong pitching and clutch hitting.  With some solid hits in the third, the Red Sox took the lead and held off the Flames to take their first game 7-5.  Eric (3), John Pope (2), Matt (1) and Patrick (1) all had RBI’s in the game.

The second game was against the Northern Kentucky Panthers and the Red Sox dominated this one with their offense.  DJ Curl, Blake and Patrick lead off the first inning with back-to-back-to-back homeruns to set the tone for this game.  The Panthers tamed the Red Sox bats in the second; but the Red Sox went on to score thirteen runs in the next three innings to run rule the Panthers in 4 1/3 innings.  Blake and Patrick added another homerun each in the fifth to their totals and Telly went three for three with a triple and two singles.  Eric and DJ Carlisle also contributed big, accounting for five RBI’s between them.

The Red Sox third game was one of the most difficult games of the week.  Like so many games this year, the Red Sox faced one of the top pitchers, if not the best pitcher, on the South Carolina Heat’s roster.  He gave up a home run to DJ Curl to start the game and it wasn’t until he was relieved in the sixth inning before, that the Red Sox could string together some offense and push one more run across the plate.  In a move that you don’t see to often, and one that is illegal in USSSA sanctioned tournaments, the Heat brought their starting pitcher back to the mound after the Red Sox were able to load the bases in the sixth.  With the help of a good play by the short-stop, the Heat pitcher was able to get a ground out to end the game.  Eric pitched a great game only allowing five hits; but, with a homerun and some small ball the Heat were able to stay ahead with three runs.  The game ended with the Heat on top 3 to 2.

The Red Sox fourth game was against the Brooklyn Blaze out of Minnesota.  One of the highlights of this game was the Red Sox pitching.  Michael Trebendis pitched a shut-out only facing one more than the minimum with four K’s.   The other was a homerun by DJ Carlisle.  Although Telly and John Goodman also had homeruns, this was DJ’s first ever and was very special as his father gave him a high-five when he rounded third.  The Red Sox put up the numbers and finished this game in four with a 12 to 0, run rule.

The fifth game was against the Wisconsin Rockhounds.  They scored one unearned run in the bottom of the first; but with some solid defense and great pitching by DJ Curl and John Goodman, the Red Sox shut the ‘hounds down for the rest of the game.  The Red Sox scored in the top of the first; but it wasn’t until the third before their bats started heating up.  In the last four innings, the Red Sox put up nine runs on some solid hits to cruise to their fourth victory.  Surprisingly enough, there were no homeruns in this game by either team which; speaks for the quality of the pitching.

OUCH!  Not a lot to can be said about the sixth game against the Corona Angels.  They hit the ball, hard, long and often.  They also had a pitcher that was throwing gas!  The Red Sox got a little rally going in the third; but, could not make a dent in the eleven run lead that the Angels had already established.  The Red Sox dropped their second in pool play 15-3.

In the seventh game, the Red Sox bounced back against the Houston Hurricanes.  As it turned out, this game was very similar to the Red Sox fifth game; however the rolls were reversed.  The Hurricanes scored first; but, Telly took care of that in the bottom of the first with a three run home-run.  He continued to dominate in the second inning by hitting a grand-slam home-run to put the Red Sox up by four.  Cameron also had a big game offensively by hitting two, two-run homeruns at consecutive at-bats.  Michael had another great outing on the mound by not allowing any earned runs with six K’s.  The Red Sox took this one 15-4.

With our seven games completed, the Red Sox were seeded No. 24 going into bracket play with a 5-2 record and an average runs allowed of 4.57.  The Red Sox would have preferred to be seeded higher after pool play; but considering the teams present in Week #3 at Cooperstown and the two teams that beat them in pool play, a top 25 seeding was respectable.

As it turned out, the Red Sox would have to go all the way to Cooperstown to play a neighboring Georgia team in their first bracket game.  The Red Sox had only played the PTB GA Vipers once this season and had taken that game easily.  This certainly gave the Vipers some added motivation for this elimination game.  Being the higher seed, the Red Sox were the home team; however after five hits and three runs in the top of the first, it was apparent the Vipers came to play.  The Red Sox would match one run in the first and with a double-play would prevent the Vipers from scoring in the second.  The Red Sox also failed to score in the second.  The Vipers continued to hit the ball well and before, the Red Sox could record three outs in the third, the Vipers used the long ball and some solid hits to stretch the lead to five.  The second time around against the Viper’s pitcher was a different out-come for the Red Sox.  With some solid hits and a homerun by Blake, the Red Sox closed the gap to two.  The Red Sox pitching shut the Vipers down in the last three innings, only allowed one more hit and striking out the side in the top of the sixth.  The fourth inning was all Red Sox!  With eight hits, one being a homerun by Eric and another a grand-slam by Blake, the Red Sox caught the Vipers and went ahead with a nine run inning.  DJ Curl had his best offensive game of the year going 4-4 with four base hits and four runs scored.  The Red Sox would score one more in the fifth to take their first bracket game 14 to 6.

The Red Sox second elimination game was against the #9 seed Boca Stars that were undefeated in pool play only allowing an average of 2.57 runs per game.  With those results, the Red Sox knew they had their work cut out for them.  Through 2 1/2 innings, with a monster homerun by Blake in the first and some patience at the plate in the second, the Red Sox had a three run lead.  The Stars would capitalize on a Red Sox mistake in the bottom of the second to draw within one.  The Red Sox increased their lead by one on a solid homerun by John Goodman to take a 4 to 2 lead into the bottom of the fourth.  The bottom of the fourth is when the tide would turn.  The Red Sox coaches countered some sign stealing by the Stars coach in the second; but before the Red Sox would end the fourth, the Stars had put up seven hits, two being homeruns and one a grand-slam to go ahead by seven.  The momentum had obviously shifted and Red Sox only put one more on the board in a 13 to 5 loss to end their tournament.  Due to a rain delay earlier in the day, this game did not end until close to midnight.  In a true showing of sportsmanship and hospitality, the Boca Stars offered the Red Sox several extra pizzas that they had delivered to the Baseball Village.  Thank you Stars.

I would be amiss if I did not mention the Wiffle ball games that took place through-out the week.  In several games played in the practice area, the Red Sox were undefeated.  These games allowed a time to relax and release and added to the fun of the Cooperstown experience.  At one point during the week, the coaches coined the phrase Wiffle Ball Attitude or WBA.  This was a relaxed intensity that the Red Sox played with that led to some of the highlights of the week.

Another opportunity during the Cooperstown Dreams Park experience was a visit to the MLB Hall of Fame.  The records, memorabilia and history in the Hall of Fame gave everyone a greater appreciation for a game that has been around since before the 1840’s.

                         

Individual game details can be found under the Game Results page and some additional pictures can be viewed in the Cooperstown Photo Album.

June 17, 2007 – ALPHARETTA, GA – The Battle at the Bridge tournament was a fund-raising tournament for the Alpharetta A’s baseball team.  This tournament was set-up to simulate the Cooperstown experience with skills competitions and short fences.  The Red Sox played hard in their pool games and earned the number three seed; which we thought would get us a favorable schedule.  For the second day in a row, the team that had to travel the farthest to get to the tournament, had to play an 8:30 AM game; whereas the number four seed played at 10:45AM.  We were also placed on the same side of the bracket as the number one seed; which makes no sense at all.  We were told that “this is the way the brackets are done in Cooperstown”; but, you only have to LOOK at the Cooperstown tournament brackets to know this is not the case.  Regardless of these frustrations, the Red Sox played some great baseball at Webb Bridge Park over the weekend.

The Red Sox first pool game was against the Hopewell Vipers.  John Goodman pitched a great complete game wringing-up eight Vipers and only allowing one earned run in the top of the sixth.  The Vipers also pitched well.  Of the four runs that the Red Sox scored; two were pushed across on a sacrifice bunt by DJ Carlisle and a sacrifice fly by Matt Anderson.  The Vipers did give us one run though; Blake Edwards hit a sky-high fly ball to left field, which should have been an easy out.  Blake demonstrated why you never let up.  By the time, the ball hit the left fielders glove and bounced out, Blake was already on his way to second base.  He never looked back as the Vipers then made an errant throw over the second baseman into right field.  Blake crossed home on a four-base error.  Great hustle Blake!  The Red Sox took their first pool game 4 to 1.

The Red Sox second pool game was against the Wills Park Fire.  This was our third time this year to play the Fire.  We split the first two and with the write-up on the Fire’s web site about our last meeting, the Red Sox had plenty of motivation.  Although the Fire scored first, the Red Sox scored “early and often” actually, every inning!  When all was said and done, the Red Sox had run ruled the Fire again.  Eric and Cameron combined only allowing two earned runs through four innings.  With some solid defense, the Red Sox left nine of the Fire’s players on base.  Apparently, the Fire needed to save pitching for bracket play because by the time they brought in some one that could through heat, the game was all but over.  The Red Sox won 13-3.

The first bracket game was against the Norcross Blue Devils.  The Red Sox did not know much about the Blue Devils prior to 8:30 AM Sunday morning; but, spent the next 2 ½ hours plus finding out.  They are a fundamental team that will make you pay for mistakes left in the strike zone.  Before the Red Sox could put the fire out, they had put five runs on the board in the top of the first and five in the second.  The Red Sox shut the Blue Devils down for the next three innings and came back to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth; 10 to 10.  On a error, hit batter and a couple of hits, the Blue Devils scored three in the sixth.  DJ Curl led off the bottom of the sixth with a two-run bomb for his second home run of the game.  Telly Sloan then followed suit with one of his own for back-to-back homeruns.  The game was tied again at 13.  Pitching dominated in the seventh inning and the score remained tied.  In the top of the eighth, those mistakes in the strike zone led to three home runs and a single and the Blue Devils led 17-13.  The Red Sox made a run in the bottom of the eighth when Michael Trebendis went long for the first time this year.  The gap was two; but the Red Sox ran out of outs and the tournament was over.  Final score was 17-15 Blue Devils.  The Red Sox would have like the outcome to be different; but, the Blue Devils never gave up which made for a very exciting game.

Several of the teams playing in this tournament are heading to Cooperstown, New York, to participate in what has become one of the premier tournaments in the country.  Ninety-six teams make the trek every week for 10 weeks straight to play other teams from all over the country.  Good luck to everyone.

You can track the Red Sox progress at Cooperstown by going to

http://www.cooperstowndreamspark.com/2007WeeklyResults/CDP2007WK3/CDP2007WK3.html

Individual game details can be found under the Game Results page.

June 3, 2007

The Red Sox first pool game was against the Tennessee Timberwolves.  With a final score of 13-10, offense was the name of this game.  After just two innings, the Red Sox were down 9-5 leaving the bases loaded in the second.  The Timberwolves continued to take advantage of some miscues by the Red Sox defense to extend the lead to 13 in the third.  The Red Sox made a run in the fourth with DJ Curl and Telly Sloan driving in 2 RBI’s each; but, the inning and the game ended with the Timberwolves shutting down the Red Sox’s number 4, 5 & 6 hitters.  The Timberwolves are a great hitting team that capitalized on pitches left in the strike zone.

Our second pool game was against the Fairfield Chiefs (OH) who was the other major team in our pool.   This was the most exciting game of the weekend with each team matching the other through three innings.  In the fourth with an error and some small ball, the Red Sox took the lead.  The Chiefs weren’t going to give up that quickly and their number 2 and 3 hitters combined a single and a homerun to take the lead by one in the fifth.  With two outs on a very questionable double-play call, Cameron hit a two strike double to left center.    Eric then proceeded to drive in the tying run with a shot to right field.  The Red Sox made some good defensive plays behind Matt to keep the Chiefs scoreless in the top of the sixth.  In the bottom of the sixth, DJ Carlisle started the inning with a single up the middle and Michael, laid down a great sacrifice bunt to get him to second.  Little did the coaches know, with a two-two count, John Pope decided the end the game with a walk-off, two run homerun.  Clutch hitting earned the Red Sox a solid win against a fundamentally sound team.  The final was 7-5 Red Sox.

Our third pool game was against another Ohio team, Grove City Vipers.  Michael pitched well through three innings mixing up his pitches and keeping the Vipers off balance.  John Goodman shut them down in the fourth after the Vipers tried to make a run with a few hits.  The Red Sox scored in every inning with a team effort.  The mercy rule was imposed after four innings with a final score of 11-3, Red Sox.  Telly (2B), Patrick (2B & HR), Blake (3B) and Matt (2B) all had extra base hits to add to the totals.

Although the Red Sox had won two out of three games, the seeding for bracket play came down to runs allowed and with one more run allowed than some of the other major teams in the tournament, the Red Sox were destined to play in the AAA division.  The Red Sox were disappointed in the way this turned out; but they would still have to play fundamental baseball against some solid teams if they wanted to bring home some hardware.

The first bracket game was against the East Cobb Hurricanes.  Not to take anything away from the players, but the Cane’s coach provide all the motivation that the Red Sox needed to take this game.  The Red Sox let the bats do our talking! 

The Cane’s started the game with two doubles and two runs to get a head start on the Red Sox; but, Eric got in the groove and only allowed one more earned run through five innings.  The Red Sox answered in the first scoring one run on solid hits by DJ Curl and Telly; however, it would take seeing the Cane’s pitcher for the second time before the Red Sox could get the bats rolling.  After John Pope earned a walk in the third, DJ Curl moved him to second on a sacrifice bunt and Telly drove him in with a hit up the middle.  The Cane’s pitcher had an awesome curve ball that worked through two innings; but on a one and one count, Patrick crushed one over the center field fence.  The pitcher was visibly shook by Patrick’s two-run home-run and proceeded to serve up another to Blake who took him long for back to back home-runs.  The third ended with the Red Sox up 5-2.  The Red Sox played solid defense in the top of the fourth to strand three Cane’s and head into the bottom of the inning still up by three.  After an error by the Cane’s third baseman, John Pope finished off the Cane’s pitcher by blasting a two-run homerun making it 7-2.  In the fifth, with a walk and an error, the Cane’s were able to get one more run across; but, with an obstruction call against the Cane’s, the Red Sox were awarded a double-play to all but end the Cane’s hopes.  With time called in the bottom of the fifth, the Red Sox headed to the championship game with a final score of 7-3 against the East Cobb Hurricanes.

As it turned out, two major teams made it to the championship game in the AAA division.  The Red Sox would face the Fairfield Chiefs again to determine the champion of the 8^th Annual Smokey Mountain Classic.  After a come from behind, last inning victory in our second pool game, the Red Sox knew they had their work cut out for them.  As it turned out, Red Sox pitching dominated this game.  Matt Anderson pitched a no hitter through the first 3 innings, not allowing a run with eight (8) strikeouts.  John Goodman finished the game only giving up two runs on two hits and striking out six (6).  The long ball did not come into play for the Red Sox in this game, but Telly, Blake, Cameron and DJ Carlisle all had extra base hits that accounted for the five runs needed to take home the championship hardware.  The final was 5-3 Red Sox.

The Red Sox would have preferred to be in the major division of the Smokey Mountain Classic and have beaten several of the teams in that division; however, they played great baseball all weekend and earned a championship.  Great job Red Sox!          

Individual game details can be found under the Game Results page.

May 28, 2007 – KENNESAW, GA – The Kennesaw Generals Memorial Day Tournament isn’t a sanctioned tournament; but, because it is a well run tournament, it draws some of the best teams in Georgia and the surrounding area.  This year, nineteen (19) teams in the 12U division made up a strong field and the Kennesaw Generals ran another fine tournament.  This turned out to be the tournament that helped the Elite Red Sox “get over the hump” as far as Sunday games. 

Our pool games were against the GA Bad Boys and the West GA Mavericks.  This was the first time we’ve played either team and were not able to find any significant history; so we really weren’t sure what to expect. 

The GA Bad Boys turned out to be a pretty strong team that never gave up.  The Red Sox struck first in the bottom of the first with two earned runs; but the Bad Boys cut the lead in half in the second.  DJ Curl pitched great through the first two innings only facing seven batters and allowing one run.  DJ Carlisle pitched the third facing the minimum.  In the bottom of the third the Red Sox bats caught fire and they went on to score five and extend the lead.    DJ Carlisle got in a little trouble in the fourth; but, Blake was able to put out the Bad Boys fire; but not before they had put four on the board.  The Red Sox put up three more in the fifth before time expired.  The offensive highlights were home runs by Telly Sloan and Patrick Busscher; but, Blake Edwards and Cameron Ragsdale also had good outings going two for two.  The Red Sox took their first 10 to 5.

The next game against the GA Mavericks was dominated by Eric Smith on the mound.  He threw thirty (30) pitches with only eight (8) balls while facing the minimum through three innings.  As it turned out, three innings was all the Red Sox would need as they threw up eighteen (18) runs to end the game with the mercy rule.  Patrick Busscher and Eric Smith both went long in the first and accounted for four RBI’s in a six run inning.  Patience at the plate resulted in five runs being put on the board in the second.  The Red Sox batted through the line up in the third with seven hits and six runs.    The Red Sox took their second game 18 to 0.

With their performance in the first two games the Red Sox again earned the number one seed for the tournament; however, unlike the last few tournaments, the Red Sox came out to win their first game on Sunday.

Their first game was against the TNL Travelers, a strong AAA team, that has given many Major teams a run for their money.  The Red Sox thought, they were in the drivers seat; but after Cameron Ragsdale could not retire one batter in the first before the Travelers had put four runs on the board.  Patrick Busscher cleaned up the Cameron’s mess in the first and went on to pitch the next two; but, a strong hitting Travelers put another three on the board.  The Red Sox put four on the board through three on a home-run by Patrick and some solid hits by Matt Anderson and John Goodman.  John continued good work by shutting down the Travelers offense on the mound in the fourth.  The Red Sox had their work cut out; but, proved to be up to the challenge.  With a couple of walks, a hit and two outs, DJ Curl came to the plate and with one swing tied the game with a base clearing, stand-up triple.  The Red Sox continued the two-out rally, scoring four more runs on the Traveler's pitcher before he could retire the side.  The Red Sox broke the curse, winning their first game on Sunday after earning the number one seed in a tournament.

What turned out to be the Red Sox final game of the tournament was against the Wills Park Fire.  The Red Sox beat the Fire a couple of weeks ago in the Cherokee tournament and they had something to prove.  Due to some shaky Red Sox pitching the Red Sox started the game with a five run deficit in the bottom of the first.  The Red Sox were able to take advantage of some mistakes and cut the lead to two going into the second.  The Fire was still hot as the top of their line-up put four more on the board in the second and some strong pitching shut down the Red Sox offense.  Time expired before the Red Sox could put anything together offensively and the Fire had scored three more runs.  It was humbling for the Red Sox to be beat 12 to 3; but, we’ll see them again and next time we’ll be the team burning up the bases.

All in all, the Kennesaw Generals Memorial Day tournament was a good performance for the Red Sox.  We’ve beaten the Sunday curse and have regained our confidence.  Strong offense was certainly the highlight of the weekend.

Individual game details can be found under the Game Results page.

May 21, 2007 – HAMPTON, GA – The Clash of Champions USSSA Qualifier was a fundraising tournament for the OTC Bearcats/Georgia Braves held at North Forty Recreation Park.  Teams from 6U to 14U were present from around the southeast.  Some of the top Major and AAA teams in Georgia represented the 12U division. 

Our pool games were against the Sandtown Pirates and the Central Titans.  The Pirates are a well-coached, fundamental team that should be at least competing as a AAA team.  I think the report most often given to describe the Sandtown Pirates is “scrappy team; never let up because they don’t”.  This was evident with their win against the TNL Travelers and the game that they gave the Effingham Young Guns.  I believe the Titans did not fully understand what they were getting into by playing in this tournament.  I will say though, they had some great attitudes and were certainly able to make the routine plays.  Based on the initial seeding, the Red Sox knew in order to get the number 1 seed going into bracket play; they would probably have to put-up zeros in both pool games. 

John Goodman pitched a great game against the Pirates and with a little offense, the Red Sox got their first “zero” on Thursday night.  Eric pitched the second game on Saturday against the Titans and by only allowing one earned run through three innings, guaranteed the Red Sox their No. 1 seed.  The Red Sox also took advantage of some shaky pitching by the Titans to put up 20 runs in the third to initiate the USSSA mercy rule.

This was the third time in four tournaments that the Red Sox had secured the No. 1 seed; however, similar to the other tournaments; the Red Sox dropped the first game against the Homeplate Chilidogs on Sunday to end the tournament except for a consolation game.  The Chilidogs are also a well-coached team that took advantage of every opportunity that the Red Sox gave them.  They had good pitching that kept the Red Sox off balance and got the hits when they needed them.  The Red Sox won the consolation game against the Central Titans which all would agree, was not very satisfying. 

The two highlights of the weekend were the offensive performance by Patrick Busscher and going to the Georgia Tech/Florida State game on Friday night.  Patrick had two homeruns in the 20 run inning against the Central Titans; one being a grand slam.  These were not cheap as he had to clear a fence that was 248 feet away.  He ended the weekend batting a cool .818; Outstanding Patrick. 

On Friday night, several of the players and parents attended the Georgia Tech game against the top ranked Florida State Seminoles.  Except for a six run first inning, it was a pretty close game and the Red Sox experienced some fundamental baseball.  The Red Sox players and parents had a great time.  Like the Seminoles, the players also experienced Tech's "professional" heckler; how does he do it for the whole game? 

May 5, 2007 – MORROW/LAKE CITY, GA – The Director’s Cup Championship tournament is the event that ends the Director’s Cup Series of qualifying tournaments.  It is a free tournament and only teams that either won the championship last year or won a qualifying tournament this year are allowed to participate.  The Elite Red Sox qualified as a AAA team in a tournament back in March.  Since then the Red Sox were reclassified by USSSA as a Major 12U team and were placed in the Major division of the championship.

The first pool game was against the Newnan Yankees, who just a week earlier run ruled the Red Sox in LaGrange.  This meeting would be different as it was decided in just 57 minutes.  As the home team, Blake Edwards pitched a gem of a game only giving up two hits in a four-inning game.  The Yankees may have been trying to save pitching as the Red Sox made them pay putting up four runs in the first inning including a solo homerun by Eric Smith.  The second inning was quiet for both teams; however the bats could not be silenced in the bottom of the third before the Red Sox had scored five more runs.  The game ended with the Red Sox playing excellent defense and shutting out the Yankees 9-0.

The second pool game was against the East Cobb Astros.  This would be the first meeting of these two teams this year.  For the first two innings, Red Sox pitcher, Matt Anderson, dominated; but was equaled by the Yankees pitcher; so neither team scored.  In the third, the Red Sox defense allowed two unearned runs; but they were able to string some hits and BB together to go ahead by one in the fourth.  In the top of the fifth, the Astros took the lead with a walk and a home run.  The leadoff in the fifth was John Goodman, who picked a good pitch and went long over the left field fence for his first home run of the year.  The scored was tied going into the top of the sixth.  Patrick Busscher relieved Matt in the fifth and continued to pitch well by sitting down all three batters he faced in the sixth; striking out the No. 1 & 2 hitters in the Astros line-up.  This was not the last contribution Patrick would make in this game.  After Cameron reached base on a hit to left, Patrick proceeded to jack a two-run, walk-off home-run to win the game.  Great finish in a tight game.

As has happened too often lately, the Red Sox could not remain focused on Sunday to extend the tournament.  The Red Sox earned the number one seed in the tournament; which gave them a late starting time; however, their first game was against the Newnan Yankees.  This team cannot be taken lightly as they are a fundamental team with some strong bats.  The Red Sox scored in all but one inning; but , could not string enough together to make up for some untimely errors and some pop-flies that barely cleared the fence for the Yankees.  One highlight was John Pope’s monster home-run in the second inning; it was to straight away left and was in the trees and still climbing.  When the dust cleared, the Red Sox weekend ended with a loss to the Yankees 12-7.

Individual game details can be found under the Game Results page.

April 22, 2007 – CANTON, GA – Hosted by the 12U team, the Cherokee Reds Invitational ended up being a very strong tournament.  The 16 teams that advanced to bracket play on Sunday were some of the top AAA and Major teams in the state. 

The first game, against the 11U East Cobb Astro’s was a no win situation for the Red Sox.  Regardless of the strength of the younger team, the only way to avoid criticism is to run ruled them and that’s what they did.  Although it took five innings, outstanding pitching from Patrick Busscher and great defense by the Red Sox did not allow any runs.  A slow start at the plate picked up in the 5^th with four runs being scored which ended the game for the Astro’s.  Credit has to be given to the Astro’s as they demonstrated some fundamental baseball in the field and at the plate.  The Red Sox started the tournament with an 8-0 win.

The Red Sox second game was against the Wills Park Fire, which started with the Fire putting four runs on the board in the top of the first.  The Red Sox picked each other up and went on to score in every inning with some solid plate appearances including homeruns from Blake Edwards and DJ Curl along with a triple from John Goodman.  The Red Sox won in five when time expired and they were up 10-5.

The Red Sox third game was against the Acworth Warriors.  Another great outing by the Red Sox pitchers Eric Smith and DJ Carlisle resulted in no earned runs allowed. Combined with patience at the plate, these performances allowed the Red Sox an opportunity to run rule another team.  Several Red Sox took advantage of the 300 ft fences had legged out extra base hits, which accounted for four RBI’s and two runs scored.  The Red Sox won 10-2.

Because the Elite Red Sox won all their pool games, scored 28 runs and only allowed seven runs, we earned the number one seed for bracket play.  But, what did that get us you may ask; how about a 9:00AM game with a hungry Sandy Plains Wildcats team.  You would have thought that at least the top seeds would have gotten a later starting time or even a buy through the first round; but that was not the plan.

The Wildcats already had incentive as the Red Sox won their first meeting at the Border Wars tournament back in March.  Combine that with good bats and solid defense and the tournament was ended for the number one seed; Elite Red Sox.  The Red Sox did provide some help to the Wildcats win with several sloppy defensive plays and a lack of patience at the plate.  The Red Sox also made a run in the bottom of the fifth scoring five runs; but it was too little too late and the Red Sox went home.

Overall, the coaches were extremely pleased with the Red Sox play over the weekend.  Coach Derrick said; there is no need for an “over-haul” of any area of play; but we just have to come ready to play on Sunday.  Coach Steve agreed saying that we must “stay focused” for the entire weekend.  Based on wins and loses, the Red Sox finished 9^th in the Cherokee Red Invitational tournament.

Individual game details can be found under the Game Results page.

April 1, 2007 – PEACHTREE CITY, GA – The Super NIT in Peachtree City, hosted by First Class Events, has become one of the premier baseball tournaments in the southeast.  Teams from Alabama, North & South Carolina, Florida, Michigan, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas come to Georgia to compete at the highest possible level in youth baseball.  This year, in the 12U division, 56 teams competed in AA, AAA and Major Classifications.  The Elite Red Sox finished the tournament two and two; 9^th out of 36 major teams.

The first pool game was against Mentium Athletics who we run ruled a couple of weeks ago in Decatur 10 to 2.  This time was the exact opposite.  The Red Sox’s defense was disconnecte to say the least and gave up seven unearned runs that allowed Mentium to run rule us in four innings.  It was a disappointing start to the Super NIT considering our play the previous weekend.  The Red Sox lost 10 to 2.  Certainly, the highlight of the game was Telly Sloan’s bat catching fire and going two for two with a triple.

The Red Sox got it back together for their second pool game against the Cherokee Red’s.  They demonstrated errorless baseball, being tested a couple of times on some good bunts by the Reds.  The pitching by Eric and DJ Carlisle was the highlight of the game ringing up six K’s and allowing only two runs.  Red Sox won 4 to 2.

The third pool game was the highlight of the weekend for the Red Sox.  It was a learning experience for the players, and extremely entertaining for the coaches and fans as they saw five lead changes in six innings.  The Red Sox struck first with two runs in the first and did not score again until the fifth.  With some awesome defense from Mike, John Wayne, DJ Curl and Eric, Cameron only gave up three hits and pitched scoreless ball through four innings. 

DJ Curl started the fifth and just did not have his normal stuff and allowed four runs in the top of the fifth to make the score 4 to 2; Stars.  With the help of some BB’s, errors and solid hits by Patrick and Matt, the Red Sox took the lead back 7 to 4 in the bottom of the fifth.  In the top of the sixth, DJ’s control had still not come around before four more runs were allowed and the Stars took the lead by one; 8 to 7. 

In the bottom of the sixth, the Red Sox first batter struck out and the second (Mike) drew a walk and managed to get to third on a passed ball and a stolen base.  An attempted bunt was fouled off so John Wayne just put the ball in play after fouling off two on a two and two count.  The Stars spent to much time looking the runner back and did not end up getting the out at first.  John Pope came to the plate with runners at first and third and one out.  John has been struggling at the plate; but tonight was his night as he drove a solid hit into right center to score the tying run and advance the runner to third.  The lead off batter, DJ Curl came to the plate and drew a walk to load the bases with still only one out.  The Stars decided to make another pitching change to try to maintain the tie.  With bases loaded, one out and the infield and outfield pulled way in, Cameron came to the plate.  The first pitch was a ball low and outside.  The second was a strike across the outside corner.  The Stars pitcher then threw three straight balls to walk Cameron and force John Wayne across the plate for the winning run.  Red Sox won 9 to 8.  It was a great game against strong team.

The Red Sox ended up the 14^th seed after pool play facing the Alabama Longhorns (3^rd seed) in the second round.  The Red Sox jumped out to a 6 to 0 lead after the first inning with seven hits out of ten batters, one being a two run home-run by Patrick.  With some hits and two home runs in the second, the Longhorns tied the game.  The first HR was crushed; but at any other ball park, the second would have just been a long out but ended up being a grand slam.  The Longhorns brought in another pitcher and kept the Red Sox off balance for the next two innings.  In the fourth, John Wayne started with a double and scored on an errant throw by the catcher that also allowed the runner to advance to first after a strike out swinging.  The Longhorns got out of the inning by doubling up a runner after a deep fly ball to left field.  In the bottom of the 4^th, the Red Sox started the inning by committing a error and before they could get the third out, another fly ball grand slam had contributed to six more runs on the board.  The Red Sox could only manage two more runs in the next two innings and fell to the Longhorns 12 to 9 to end their tournament.

 

The Alabama Longhorns won their next two games and went on to play in the championship game against the Houston Banditos who won the tournament.

It has never been more obvious than in this tournament; at this level, errors are extremely costly.  We took advantage of some; but we gave away a lot of runs and the games on errors.  The Red Sox are still refining and are gaining more and more confidence with each tournament.  After six straight tournaments, the Red Sox will take some time off to recover and apply what we have learned.  The Red Sox will return soon and will continue to raise our game to the next level. 

March 25, 2007 – CHATTANOOGA, TN – Super tournament for a super team!  Last year as the 11U OTC Bearcats, we went to the Border Wars tournament and lost four straight games.  This year as the Elite Red Sox, we earned a position in the top four out of twenty-four of the best teams in the southeast.  What an accomplishment!

The Red Sox started off with a team that beat us last year with a walk-off homerun; the Georgia Bombers (Formerly Carpet City Mudcats).  This year was a different story as we run ruled them in four innings eleven to one.  We jumped on them in the first inning and never looked back putting runs on the board in every inning.  The Bombers only run was in the second inning and was unearned.

Our second game was like a MLB rivalry although this was the first time that the Elite Red Sox have faced the East Cobb Yankees.  The Red Sox jumped out to a two run lead in the first; but an error and the long ball allowed the Yankees to take the lead in the bottom.  The Yankees shut down the Red Sox in the second and put two more runs on the board on two more errors on the Red Sox defense.  The Red Sox put two on the board in the third to draw within one and shut down the Yankees in the bottom of the third.  Playing small ball and a timely error by the Yankees allowed the Red Sox to take the lead into the fifth and final inning.  The Yankees strung two hits together to tie the game and that is where it ended.  Not very satisfying; but, we hope to see them again when we don’t give up three unearned runs.

In our third game against the Sandy Plains Wildcats, another team that beat us last year, five to three; the Red Sox bats were hot!  They scored twelve times on eleven hits and only allowed four earned runs.  Three of the Wildcats runs came on a homerun that was absolutely crushed!  We will be looking for Gee the next time we face the Wildcats.  The Wildcats did not have the only long ball, as Eric put up a grand slam in the third to help the Red Sox to a six run inning.  Great to see Eric’s bat heating up.  The Red Sox scored in every inning but the second to cruise to their second victory and clinch the number one seed in our pool.  The Wildcats were undefeated in the tournament until meeting the Elite Red Sox.

Our fourth game was against a scrappy Kennesaw Generals team.  They never gave in which made for an exciting game all the way to the end.  They took advantage of a couple of walks to make the game close in the third; but, the Red Sox also showed patience at the plate and with some key hits maintained the lead.  The Red Sox pitching closed them down in the fourth to make it to the final four in the 2007 Border Wars tournament.  As it turned out, the Elite Red Sox were the only Georgia team left in the tournament to advance.

The semi-final game was against Hit After Hit out of Nashville TN.  Runs were a premium for both teams as they were only able to get two each through the six inning game.  A winner had to be declared, so the international tie breaker rule was used.  After one inning, neither the Red Sox or Hit After Hit could execute and get a run across and it went to the eighth still tied at two.  This time with a couple of clutch bunts, the Red Sox put one run on the board to break the tie; but, it wasn’t enough.  Hit After Hit started the inning with an excellent bunt that could not be fielded and after moving the runner to second, their batter put a fly ball just out of reach of the Red Sox out-fielder which allowed Hit After Hit to score the tying and winning runs.

Hit After Hit went on to win the 2007 Border Wars tournament putting eight runs up the first inning against the Rocket City Stingers.  The final was twelve to eight Hit After Hit.  It was a great tournament for the Elite Red Sox and I believe they have earned a name for themselves as one of the best teams in the southeast!

March 18, 2007 – DECATUR, GA – Rising to the occasion describes the Red Sox performance in the NIT tournament this past weekend.  Of the six teams entered, five are classified as “Major” and represent some of the best in Georgia.

Again this week, a highlight for the weekend would have to be the pitching.  Matt Anderson’s pitching appearance against the Georgia Bandits certainly stands out against all the other good outings.  He pitched a complete game shutting out a team that is arguably one of the best 12U teams in the nation.  Matt only gave up two hits and three walks while sitting down five batters with swinging K’s.  The Red Sox also provided superb defense behind their pitcher.

As for the offense, it was obvious that we faced stronger pitching as we only hit around .300 for the weekend.  John Wayne had the best weekend at the plate; but DJ Curl and Matt Anderson weren’t far behind.  Some that were slow getting started are starting to see the ball better and will certainly be big contributors real soon.  We did work counts very well as the team’s OBP was .430.

Overall, the Red Sox showed some great progress this weekend.  This next weekend, we will be in Chattanooga for the 2007 Border Wars tournament.  It promises to be a great tournament as many of the top teams from the southeast will be participating.

March 11, 2007 – MILLEDGEVILLE, GA – The Elite Red Sox accomplished what they set out to do this weekend; earn a berth to the Director’s Cup Championship Tournament in May ‘07.  This will be a free tournament and with all the expenses this year, every little bit helps. 

From a performance stand-point, the Red Sox played pretty solid baseball.  There were a few hick-ups; but, it is still early in the season and those can be addressed easily in practice.  One of the highlights of the weekend was the pitching performance by Patrick.  He rung-up half of the batters he faced; only walked two and did not allow any earned runs.  John Wayne and Telly also had extended outings on the mound, combining for six K’s through 8 1/3 innings.  Matt, Cameron, DJ Carlisle, Eric, Mike and DJ Curl also pitched well over the weekend not allowing any earned runs.  Through five games the Red Sox pitching only allowed four earned runs; excellent pitching guys!

Iron man, John Pope had four tremendous games behind the plate over the weekend.  His ability to keep the ball in front stifled our opponent’s desire to get free bases.  One of the best performances we have seen.  Great Job John!

The offense was also effective for the weekend.  We moved runners and hit the ball hard all weekend scoring 48 runs through 22 innings in 5 games.  We had a team average of over .440 and an OBP over .515.  The highlights included homeruns by Patrick and John Pope.  One “at-bat” that illustrates team play was one of Jake’s in the championship game.  In order to allow the runner to get the steal, he took a pitch, which put him behind in the count.  Expecting something off speed he took the next pitch.  Now, being 0 and 2, be battled back, fouling off some pitches and taking some balls.  He finished that “at-bat” with a line drive to right center to get the RBI.  Great plate appearance Jake!

The Red Sox had a great weekend bringing home some hardware for Elite Sports and Training Complex.  We are looking forward to facing the next level of competition.