West Raleigh opened state tournament play with a very well-played game that ended in a 3-0 victory over Supper Optimist.
The 11U Blue offense never really got rolling, as it mustered just a handful of hits and never had that trademark big inning. But the West Raleigh hitters took advantage of four walks, a couple of hit batters, and a couple of timely wild pitches to generate just enough offense.
And there wasn't much offense needed, because Drew and Banks were dominant on the mound. Supper got just three hits and never advanced a runner to third base; on the four occasions they put a runner in scoring position, 11U Blue pitchers limited them to 0-for-8 in those spots, with four of those outs coming by strikeout.
The win was especially important because it came in front of Creed, who has been an important part of the team ever since the 8U year. And what better way to cap off a 3-0 win with a "Roll Creed" from Creed himself:
Fourth inning
Chace singled and stole second. He went to third on a wild pitch. Andrew worked a two-out walk and went to second on a wild pitch. Jake had a clutch two-out RBI single, and then Andrew scored on a wild pitch.
Score after three and a half innings: 11U Blue 2, Supper Optimist 0
Sixth inning
Chace singled. Drew singled and Chace raced to third. Andrew drove him in with a perfectly placed single.
Score after five and a half innings: 11U Blue 3, Supper Optimist 0
Pitching Performances
Pitching Performances
In his first Ripken state tournament game, Drew pitched four innings of two-hit baseball.
Banks retired six of the seven batters he faced in his two spotless innings of relief.
Dugout wisdom
It was a little tougher to hear some of the dugout wisdom, what with my luxurious position between the two Hardy (and Bryce) built fans (I know, I know). With that cool breeze blowing and the girls feeding me grapes, it's hard to remember to write down all the dugout wisdom. One thing I learned is that we call it "home base" here at the Ripken state tournament. Also, here's how you kill time in a two-hour rain delay:
Thanks as always to the hardworking folks in Laurinburg who got the field looking nice after quite a thunderstorm.
If you were wondering who the smartest player was during the rain delay, here's a clue:
Banks retired six of the seven batters he faced in his two spotless innings of relief.
Dugout wisdom
It was a little tougher to hear some of the dugout wisdom, what with my luxurious position between the two Hardy (and Bryce) built fans (I know, I know). With that cool breeze blowing and the girls feeding me grapes, it's hard to remember to write down all the dugout wisdom. One thing I learned is that we call it "home base" here at the Ripken state tournament. Also, here's how you kill time in a two-hour rain delay:
Thanks as always to the hardworking folks in Laurinburg who got the field looking nice after quite a thunderstorm.
If you were wondering who the smartest player was during the rain delay, here's a clue:
Game 1 Web Gems
- Chace had a pair of nice scoops at first base.
- Colin showed great range behind first base to haul in a popup in the second.
- Jake made a running catch on the line in left that was a run-saver in the third.
- Gavin made a pair of good, aggressive plays on tough rollers to short.
- The overall defense was airtight at every position.
State game 1 line score
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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R
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H
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WR 11U Blue
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0
|
0
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0
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2
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0
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1
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3
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6
|
Supper Optimist
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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3
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