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CWS Sports Desk
July 21, 2012
Stevens Point–The SPYBA 10 year olds had a nice first venture at the Babe Ruth State Tournament in Janesville. They survived the consistent 90-100 degree temperatures and stiff competition throughout the weekend to play into the week on Monday. It was a great growth opportunity for the team.
They started Saturday off with a sound 15-3 win over Menomonee Michigan. The game featured 3 strong innings from starting Pitcher, Reese Gaber and a 7 RBI performance from catcher / outfielder, Kyle Karr. Kyle was voted SPYBA player of the game by Menomonee coaches.
In our second game on Saturday, we faced eventual tournament champion Green Bay in what would prove to be our toughest game. While we were eventually beaten 12-2, the game did feature a 3 for 3 and solo home run performance from shortstop Lee Hodsdon. Lee was voted SPYBA player of the game by the Green Bay coaches.
Sunday morning the team extended their tournament life by defeating Mount Horeb 9-4. The game featured a balanced hitting attack and an outstanding pitching performance by Lee Hodsdon, who pitched a career high 4 & 1/3 innings. Lee was voted player of the game by Mount Horeb coaches.
On Sunday afternoon, SPYBA 10’s played their best game of the tournament, 10-running Middleton 16-2 in four innings. The team combined the best offense of the entire travel season with outstanding defense and solid pitching by Reese Gaber and Brendan Klish. For his overall offensive and defensive efforts, Lee Hodsdon was once again picked for SPYBA player of the game by the Middleton Coaches.
Monday morning they faced off against eventual 3rd place finisher, Bay Port. Lee Hodsdon led the way, holding the Bayport 10’s to 1 run through four innings. He also bounced a double off the fence early in the game. The Bottom of the 5th led to the team’s demise as 6 unearned runs gave way to an eventual 7-1 loss. Once again, Lee Hodsdon was voted ‘Most Outstanding’ SPYBA Player by the Bay Port coaches.
Overall, coach Craig Shuler was very pleased with the team’s efforts.
“We overcame a lot of adversity, including 100+ degree temperatures to play the best baseball we played all year,” Shuler said. “In the end for the tournaments, we were 3 & 2, but our two losses came against the eventual 1st and 3rd place teams. Our kids learned a lot about what it takes to compete in a high-end tournament! We look forward to returning next year.”
