By Matt Mauney | Staff Writer
The All-Star season for Plant City Little League officially came to an end this week — but not without some fireworks.
The 11-12 baseball Majors got off to a good start in the Southeast Region Tournament, but back-to-back close losses put them out of reach of one of the top two spots in their pool. The Majors did end on a winning note, however, beating West Virginia 14-6 in a cross-pool consolation game Aug. 7.
The 10-11 All-Stars still are reveling in their win in the Southeast Tournament of State Champions last week in Greenville, N.C. The TOSC is as far as that age group can go, so that group will have to wait until next year to have a shot at advancing to the coveted Little League World Series, played annually in Williamsport, Pa.
10-11s get it done
The 10-11 All-Stars, representing the state of Florida, won the 2012 Tournament of State Champions Aug. 1, in Greenville, N.C., defeating Tennessee 4-1, but it was the game prior to the finals that set the tone for Plant City.
The All-Stars advanced to the final July 31, with a thrilling, come-from-behind 8-6 win over Virginia.
Down to the final out, trailing 4-6 with two outs in the top of the sixth, Hunter Emrine, Connor Rogers and Braxton Plunk all reached base on two hits and a Virginia error (Plunk), loading the bases. Bryar Christian then delivered with a two-run flare to right center, tying the game 6-6.
In extra innings and after a scoreless seventh, Dylan Robinson and Emrine hit back-to-back solo home runs in the eighth to go up 8-6. Andrew Long put forth a quality performance on the mound in the semifinal, throwing six innings and striking out eight Virginia batters.
“That game was by far the biggest moment for us,” head coach T.J. Messick said. “The boys just found a way to win and did exactly what they needed to do.”
The All-Stars carried that momentum into the finals, where they got a rematch with Tennessee, which handed Florida its only loss of the tournament during pool play.
J.J. Gonzalez got the start on the mound in the final, pitching the whole game and allowing just one run to the Tennessee state champions from Goodlettsville, Tenn.
Florida, playing as the visiting team, put two runs on the scoreboard in the first. Plunk started things off with a double, before Christian reached on a base hit. After Christian stole second, leaving both runners in scoring position, a bad throw from Tennessee pitcher Hunter Crawford on Emrine’s bunt allowed both Plunk and Christian to score.
Rogers picked up an RBI in the second, and Gonzalez picked up one in the third to give himself all the cushion he needed.
“Everybody on this team just played a huge part,” Messick said.
Crawford, a hard-throwing right-hander, shut down Florida through three innings in the first meeting of the two teams before being pulled to save him for a potential finals appearance. Messick said his coaching staff worked with the team to be better prepared this time around.
“We got in a hitting session and threw from half the distance of normal batting practice to make sure their timing was right,” he said.
The plan worked. Florida got several timely hits and forced Crawford out of the game early.
“We got up there and weren’t scared a bit,” Messick said.
The 10-11s are coming off winning a TOSC title last year as the 9-10 All-Stars, making this season’s championship the second in a row for the team.
The team will have an opportunity to advance further next year as the 11-12 All-Stars, with a chance to move past regionals to the coveted Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
11-12s fall in regionals
Things looked promising for the 11-12 Majors as they opened the Southeast Tournament Aug. 3 with a 13-0 dismantling of Alabama.
Plant City, representing Florida, first got on the board in the third and added one in the fifth before blowing things wide open in the sixth with 11 runs.
Benji Hidalgo went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and Christian Laird had three RBIs. Austin Eldridge and Cody Ginther added two RBIs each. Tavaris Gayner and Ginther combined for the complete game shutout.
The following day, the Majors found themselves in a tight one with Warner Robins, Ga., the tournament host. Florida jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but Georgia put up three runs in the third and fourth and held on late to take the 7-6 win.
Trying to bounce back, Florida faced North Carolina Aug. 6 for a shot at one of the top two spots out of Pool B. Florida once again got on the board first, when Christian Laird and Cody Cribbs scored on Austin Eldridge’s double in the first inning. Florida went up 4-0 in the third, when Tate Whatley delivered a two-run homer, driving in Laird. North Carolina responded, with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, before taking the lead in the fifth and holding on for the 6-4 win.
Florida left the tournament on a winning note, beating West Virginia 14-6 in a cross-pool game Aug. 7. Whatley again delivered, going 4-for-5 with four RBIs. Cody Cribbs also came through with a three-run homer in the fourth.
North Carolina and Georgia took the top two spots out of Pool B, while Virginia and Tennessee advanced to the semifinals in Pool A.
Contact Matt Mauney at mmauney@plantcityobserver.com.Anonymizer