Monday, February 28, 2011

Baseball, Baseball & More Baseball










Okay, so everyone who knows me can completely understand why I have really enjoyed these past three weekends - because we have played in three consecutive baseball tournaments! Nothing makes me happier than to be at the ballfield!



President's Day weekend we played in the President's Day Pandemonium at the park closest to our house. It was nice to stay in our own beds as the previous two tournaments we played were overnight trips. Not to mention it was GREAT baseball weather - shorts, flip flops & sunglasses required! Pool play has not been our strong suit thus far in the season - we have been struggling on Saturdays. The trend continued this weekend as we lost game one and tied game two. Bradley pitched in our second pool play game and did an amazing job. This gave us the early Sunday morning call at the field with a rematch of our second pool play game against the Miracles. We cruised through this game winning 10-3. That put us in the semi-finals against our first pool play opponent from Saturday, Orlando Panthers. Knowing this was elimination Sunday, our boys came to play and cruised to a run-rule victory over the Panthers and moving us into the Championship Game against the OTown Patriots. Unfortunately, we couldn't get our sticks going in the last game and lost 3-1. Bradley did a great job all weekend but especially on Sunday when he, once again, caught all three of our games! His bat continued to be one of our best - going 5 for 11 with one walk and one strikeout (on a ball that was truly not a strike).


Sometimes Bradley is all me (even though he looks like TR spit him out) which can easily be shown in the photos below as he is so not happy about a second place finish!















This past weekend we headed to Plant City for the War on I-4. Again, our dismal Saturday record continued as we lost both pool play games. The first one we were tied going into the top of the sixth and gave up 5 runs. The second game, Bradley pitched the first three innings and we were tied up when we had to make a pitching change in the fourth (daily pitch limits requirement) and then ended up losing 7-5. On Sunday we opened our day with the Rawlings Gators, beating them easily 17-5. Then we played the Tampa Titans, who beat us in the first game of pool play on Saturday. This time, there was different outcome as we beat them 5-3. For the Championship Game, we faced the SFL Swamp Rats. Bradley took the hill but succumbed to a migraine after facing four batters in the bottom of the first. Looking back on what happened in between the games, he had all the classic signs for an on-coming migraine but he led me to believe that he had gotten dirt in his eye and it was scratched and that was bothering him. Pedro came in to relieve him and pitched good, but our sticks had died and we made a few errors, losing 8-2 to a team that we run-ruled two weeks ago. I hate to lose - especially to a team that we have beaten easily before! Bradley did get a break this weekend, catching only one game on Sunday and playing the outfield in our other game. His bat was on fire going 6 for 11, walking once and no strikeouts!


Next weekend we do it again - on to Leesburg - then a weekend off at home!!


In non-baseball news, Bradley had to make an emergency trip to the dentist last week - calling me Tuesday telling me that one of his permanent teeth was loose. Upon further questioning Tuesday after school, he tells me that it happened on SUNDAY when he was playing ball. Now, I wasn't certain that this was a permanent tooth and thankfully it was not! However, since it had broken off, the dentist did have to pull it out and clean it all up. So while mom & dad had to pay for an emergency dental visit, Bradley came out smelling like a rose with a visit from the tooth fairy.













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