Memorial Madness

The OP Raptors started the tournament circuit off with a bang on Memorial Day weekend. On May 29^th, pool play began with two dynamite games in the 6^th Annual All-Star Memorial Madness Tournament in Cumming, Georgia. This was the second year the OP Raptors have been in this tournament and the stakes were high to come back and work toward the Championship bracket…and win. This tournament used USSSA rules, different from what the Raptors are use to, so it kept the coaches and players on their toes. Also, no run rule limit and no stealing home…so it was an interesting and high scoring game.

The first pool play game was against the Hopewell Hawks. The Raptors were ready even though we loss the toss and settled for being visitors. That didn’t stop the roar of bats, defense, and the family and friend cheering section throughout the game. After the top of the first inning the Raptors had scored 3 runs. The Hawks used three pitchers to finally stop the Raptors. In the bottom of the 1st, Raptors’ Benjamin “Rambo” Harper pitched a strong inning and shut the Hawks down. The defense supported his excellent pitching and stopped their only opportunity to earn a run when they had the bases loaded. In the second inning, Hayden “Haydo” Green, kept the pitching tradition going and continued the shut out. Again the Raptors’ bats took charge and at the end of the 2^nd inning the score was 19-0. For the 3^rd inning Austin “Sparky” Pitts had his pitching debut. Again, the Raptors were on the attack and never looked back. In fact…Every Raptor scored at least one run and some two to end the game with a 19-2 victory. Good job Raptors!!!

In the second pool play game the Raptors played the Webb Bridge A’s. For two innings the game showed the strength of both team’s defense as the score was 0-0. In the 3^rd inning the Raptors pulled ahead as they scored 6 runs. The key was how the Raptors manufactured runs. With the coach’s direction, solid hits from every Raptor, pitching and defense the Raptors could not be stopped. The pitching performance was excellent as Shane Benton, Garrett Conforti, Logan Ehorn and Noah Pittman continued the tradition of pitching brilliance. Austin “Sparky” Pitts had a blowout “inside-the-park-home-run” and he zipped around the bases with his awesome hit to right field. Key hits from almost every Raptor kept the score moving higher and higher. With only 4 innings, time was called with the score of 20-2. Raptors are finished for the day with two solid games and were ready to move on to tournament play. Raptors with two wins!!!

On May 30^th, tournament play began. Game one, the Raptors focused on defense. The pitching quality was at a premium and the game scores showed it. The Raptors played the Midway Mustangs. With Shane starting the game off with a triple, the Raptor Nation knew this was going to be a great game. Raptors were on the move, with strong hitting by Logan, Hayden, Benjamin, and Luke. Other Raptors were watching carefully as they

were walk candidates that helped score several of the needed runs. In the middle of the 5^th inning the game was called with a Raptor victory of 7-1. On to the next game as the Raptors move closer to the Championship that they are seeking!

The next game was against the Hopewell Hawks. The Raptors has played them in pool play so we knew they were out for revenge. The Raptors were ready. The pitching was on fire as there were seven (7) strike outs throughout the game. The first two innings were again defensive as both teams were on their toes. Finally in the 3^rd inning the Raptors put three (3) runs on the board with Garrett, Logan and Luke coming across the plate. The Hawks had one (1) run. The defense was solid for both teams in the 4^th as the score stayed the same. However in the 5^th inning, the Raptors were on the loose with an amazing 9 run inning. We could not be stopped and the game ended with a 12-2 victory for the RAPTORS. We move on to the Championship Game which immediately followed this game. Woohoo

The night was growing dark and the Raptors had been at the ball field all day and now into the night. There was storms brewing all around the park but we stayed dry with the help of the Cabana boy “aka Brian” work to keep the awning in tack. The game was running over an hour behind but the Raptor Nation was ready for action.

With the lightning in the background Shaw Park took an early lead of 8-1. Now with the storm almost directly over us, it woke the Raptors up and in the top of the third we shut them down 1-2-3. In the bottom of the 3^rd, Raptors were hot. With two Raptors on base, no out, Steven up to bat and 3-0 count the game was called due to severe weather that was almost on-top of the park. Quickly both coaches agreed to rule the game as ended and officially claim Co-Champions. Immediately the thunder, lightning, and rain were upon us…We had reached success at this tournament…but we want MORE!!!!

What an awesome way to start the season….the Raptors end their first tournament as Co-champions!!! What a hot and sizzling tournament.

GO RAPTORS

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