A pair of teams peaked at the right time while another cruised to glory. In the end, all three were crowned champions in Mt. Vernon Optimist Club Youth Baseball.
Garst Rx finished second in the final standings at 8-2, but the team coached by James Stout and Rob McKeeman erupted for 21 runs in the Majors tournament.
The squad defeated Biggs Automotive 11-4 in the semifinals before upsetting top-seeded McCleerey’s Sporting Goods, 10-4 in the title game.
Dick’s Sporting Goods followed a similar path to win the Minors championship. Despite placing third in the final standings at 5-5, the team hit its groove in the tournament.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Opening with a slim 6-5 win against Dairy Queen-Fortville in the quarterfinals, coach Ben Boldt and Rylan Stults’ group out slugged Team Image, 12-8, during the semifinals.
In the championship final, Dick’s Sporting Goods came out swinging again to defeat top-seeded Greenfield Banking Co., 13-7.
In the Rookies division, the Blue Jays were nearly perfect. Finishing first in the final standings at 9-1, the team went 3-0 in the tournament to win it all.
Coach Brad Lockwood and Luke Webber’s team beat the Orioles 14-1 in the quarterfinals. The Blue Jays continued to put up big numbers in the semifinals with a 7-1 win against the Tigers.
In the finals, however, every run proved crucial as the Blue Jays won a thriller against the Reds, 15-14.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Scoreline” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Mt. Vernon Optimist Club Youth Baseball
MAJORS
Final standings
McCleerey’s Sporting Goods;9-1
Garst Rx;8-2
Biggs Automotive;5-5
Mike Geryak Construction;3-7
Dick’s Sporting Goods;0-10
Scores
June 2-11
Garst 17, Dick’s 2
Garst 18, Geryak 4
McCleerey’s 18, Geryak 4
Biggs 17, Dick’s 1
McCleerey’s 15, Dick’s 0
Garst 18, Geryak 10
Biggs 16, Geryak 3
Biggs 6, McCleerey’s 0
Garst 12, Dick’s 9
Tournament scores
Semifinals
Garst 11, Biggs 4
McCleerey’s 15, Geryak 4
Championship
Garst 10, McCleerey’s 4
MINORS
Final standings
Greenfield Banking Co.;7-2-1
Team Image;7-3
Dick’s Sporting Goods;5-5
Russell Orthodontics;4-6
Hancock Physicians;3-5-2
Dairy Queen-Fortville;2-7-1
Scores
June 2-11
Russell 8, Dairy Queen 7
Hancock 10, Dick’s 10
Russell 13, Greenfield 10
Hancock 16, Dairy Queen 8
Dick’s 7, Team Image 3
Team Image 10, Russell 3
Greenfield 6, Hancock 6
Dairy Queen 19, Dick’s 12
Greenfield 11, Dairy Queen 6
Team Image 10, Hancock 5
Dick’s 11, Russell 4
Tournament scores
Quarterfinals
Dick’s 6, Dairy Queen 5
Russell 11, Hancock 5
Semifinals
Dick’s 12, Team Image 8
Greenfield 9, Russell 6
Championship
Dick’s 13, Greenfield 7
ROOKIES
Standings
Blue Jays;9-1
Reds;7-3
Yankees;7-3
Tigers;6-3-1
Royals;5-5
Mud Hens;3-6-1
Indians;2-8
Orioles;0-10
Scores
June 4-11
Tigers 15, Indians 1
Blue Jays 11, Royals 1
Reds 19, Orioles 3
Yankees 13, Mud Hens 8
Tigers 14, Blue Jays 11
Mud Hens 16, Orioles 7
Royals 14, Indians 13
Reds 21, Yankees 13
Reds 16, Mud Hens 2
Blue Jays 21, Indians 6
Yankees 16, Orioles 3
Tigers 16, Royals 6
Tournament scores
Quarterfinals
Blue Jays 14, Orioles 1
Tigers 17, Royals 7
Yankees 15, Mud Hens 14
Reds 21, Indians 13
Semifinals
Blue Jays 7, Tigers 1
Reds 14, Yankees 13
Championship
Blue Jays 15, Reds 14
Home run: Ethan Owens (Mud Hens)
Game balls: Brady Webber, Brody Lockwood, Brody Acra, Kaden Crockett (Blue Jays); Caiden Chumbley, Brayden Winn, Liam Cannon (Mud Hens); Nick Matthews (Tigers)
[sc:pullout-text-end]
