COOPERSTOWN DREAMS PARK All editorial courtesy of Cooperstown Dreams Park; Photos by Justin Martin Week #2 June 13 - 19, 2009 • Cougars Roar in Final Week #1 June 6 - 12, 2009 n a cool Thursday night in June, the #2 seed Lamorinda Cougars from Undefeated Tamiami Outlaws Win Championship California defeated the #4 seeded Chiefs Baseball of Georgia 7 Oto 4 for the Cooperstown Dreams Park Week 2 Championship. It eek one for 2009 is in the record books as two teams from was a well played baseball game under the lights at Little Majors Stadium Florida battled for the championship at Cooperstown Dreams where both teams played well enough to win. The Cougars rode the right WPark. A total of one hundred and two teams were vying for the arm of Daniel Slominski as he went the distance for the complete game victo- title. The #9 Tamiami Outlaws from Miami defeated the #3 Meteors ry. The championship for the Lamorinda Cougars came from solid defense and timely hit- Baseball team from Sarasota by scoring in five of the six innings in a 15-3 ting, which included 4 home runs in the championship game. victory at Little Majors Stadium. The Cougars however, were not in control for the entire game. In the top of the first The Outlaws jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Willie Padron Tamiami Outlaws inning, the smoke from the pre game fireworks still lingered as Chiefs Baseball put up a scored from second for the Outlaws following an error. Josniel Cid scored after a pitch hit quick two spot. Leadoff hitter Bronco O’Brien hacked at the first pitch of the game and Alex Valverde from Jaleel Del Valle with the bases loaded. Hector Abreu singled off of sent a rocket line drive into left field. Two pitches later, Jalen Miller sent a high outside Meteors Baseball relief pitcher Cody Brickhouse, scoring Sergio Lopez. David Guevara fastball to the bleachers in the right-center gap giving Chiefs Baseball a 2 to 0 lead three Lamorinda Cougars scored on a fielder’s choice hit by Reny Tolentino. The scoring continued in the second for pitches into the game. In the top of the second a throwing error and two walks gave the the Outlaws, as Nelson Montilla and David Silva both scored after a Meteors Baseball Chiefs base runners as they tacked on another run on an RBI single from Johnny error. Sergio Lopez then pounded a two-run homerun, bringing in Josniel Cid. Meteors Register. The Chiefs second inning Powwow was halted after a crisp 2-4-2 exchange on Baseball answered in the bottom half of the second inning, as Nick Blasucci hit a three- a first and third steal attempt, and a clutch strikeout by Slominski. In the bottom of the run homerun to left field. That would be all the scoring for Meteors Baseball. Alex second, Lamorinda showed signs of life in the batter’s box when Lucas Herbert jumped Valverde came in to pitch 3 1/3 innings of shutout baseball for the Outlaws to hold off on the first pitch he saw for a solo homer. The next hitter, Joe Demers, outdid his team- Meteors Baseball’s offensive attack and get the win. Tamiami continued to pile on the mate and launched a missile half way up the hill in right-center. Chiefs Baseball runs. Reny Tolentino hit a two-run bomb in the top of the third inning off of Cody answered back with home run in the top of the third by Jason Heinrich that made the score 4 to 2 and put Slominski back in the oven. After two walks, Daniel settled down and Brickhouse. Alex Valverde added a three-run homer off of Zak Wilson in the fourth. David Meteors Baseball Silva added RBI singles in the fourth and sixth innings as well to make the score 15-3. made some good pitches to get out of the inning and keep the damage at 4 to 2. Meteors Baseball, coached by Ron Filipkowski, had a pretty easy time making it to the beat the #8 Viper Baseball Academy of Lamorinda scored a run in the bottom of the third on a fielder’s choice and set the stage for what turned out to be the key moment of the game. It was the bottom of the third with Week #1 championship game. They defeated the #30 North Texas Titans 16-4 to open Alabama 11-9. The #17 DBAT Mustangs-Red Chiefs Baseball their set of elimination play. They then went on to beat #19 Team Bama in a 12-11 nail- of Texas were the Outlaws’ next victims as Chiefs Baseball up 4 to 3. Matt Bicker stood on second and Daniel Slominski stepped to biter. Next up for Meteors Baseball was #11 Sal Urso’s High Performance of Florida, who they were defeated by a score of 13-5. The the plate for Lamorinda. Johnny Register got ahead of Slominski with two hard sliders. they beat 20-1. In their semifinal game, Meteors Baseball defeated the #7 East Cobb Outlaws then defeated the #21 Panthers Slominski stepped out of the box, collected himself, and tattooed Register’s 0-2 fastball with a 57-9 record, and tournament wins that Braves of Georgia 8-2. Coach Julio Cabrera’s Tamiami Outlaws took a similar path to Baseball of Alabama 3-0 to set the stage for out of Little Major’s Stadium. Two pitches later Lucas Herbert belted a homer making it include the U10 Cooperstown Dreams Park their Week #1 championship. They first defeated the #24 Orlando Gators 12-5. They next the Week #1 championship game. his second of the night. The Cougars scored a fifth run of the inning on a wild pitch mak- Championship in 2007. The Lamorinda ing the score 7 to 4. Lamorinda took the lead in the bottom of the third and never looked Cougars from Moraga, California had a back. Slominski took the hill in the fourth inning with a different look in his eyes. He was smooth ride to the championship and beat settled down and wasted no time with Chiefs Baseball hitters. He changed speeds well the #3 seed South Florida Fire, 7 to 4 in the and didn’t allow a base runner in the final 3 innings and struck out five of the last nine semifinal game. Rick Rider coaches the Week #3 June 20 - 27, 2009 • Bandits Steal the Show and Win 10U Title batters. Jason Heinrich relieved Register for the Chiefs and struck out six of the eight bat- Cougars who post a resume that includes a ters he faced. TBS National Championship and USSSA he #14 seed Bandits Baseball from Ringgold, Georgia won the Cooperstown Chiefs Baseball cruised through the tournament round outscoring opponents 54-8. Elite World Series Championship of 2008. Dreams Park Week #3 championship, defeating the #4 seed 6-4-3 DP Coached by Charles Culberson, the Chiefs, from Calhoun, Georgia, came into the game TBaseball Academy Cougars from Roswell, Georgia 10 to 0. The rain was ominous Thursday afternoon but cleared up just in time for fire- works and championship baseball at Little Majors Stadium. Will Hardigree tossed a complete game shutout for Bandits Baseball striking out five and scattering three hits in his six innings of work. Offensively, it was a complete ered sixteen pitches in innings 3-5. team effort for Bandits Baseball having seven players score runs, with eight players bat- For the 6-4-3 DP Baseball Academy ting in a run. Cougars Zach Williams had one hit A five run inning for Bandits Baseball in the second proved to be the momentum for Bandits Baseball to go along with not allowing a base their victory but the run they scored in the top of the first was the most important, turn- runner in the four batters he faced ing out to be the highlight of the game. In a championship game where the lights are as a relief pitcher. bright and the pressure is on, the top of the first inning is always significant. The first run The Championship game was full scored is essential to a baseball game, because then it takes two runs scored by the of familiar faces making Thursday opposition to beat you. Hunter Moody for the 6-4-3 DP Baseball Academy Cougars was night’s contest the sixth meeting the starting pitcher and delivered a strike right down Meisenheimer Street past the look- between the two Georgia clubs this ing eyes of Cole Shelton. Two pitches later, Shelton ripped a fastball for a leadoff double year. The #4 seed 6-4-3 DP and put the wheels in motion for the inning. Tucker Bradley then grounded out to second Baseball Academy Cougars held a and successfully advanced Shelton to third base giving Bandits Baseball a great scoring record of 59-2 coming into the opportunity. This brought Sean Coakley to bat with one out and a man on third. Sean championship game and has won only saw four pitches in the at-bat but there was strategy involved in all four. Moody fourteen tournaments. Their path delivered the first pitch and the squeeze was on. The bunt attempt from Coakley rolled through the tournament included foul on the third base side. The next two pitches from Webb were pitchouts and Cole 6-4-3 DP Baseball Academy Cougars wins against the #5 seeded team Shelton stayed tight at third base on both.