By Lee Trawick Riverbend News
On Friday, June 4, the Suwannee County 8U All-Star Bulldogs took the field at the Southside Sports Complex, located at 1963 SW Bascom Norris Dr., in Lake City. Their quest was to qualify for the State Tournament in West Palm Beach, which will begin on Thursday, June 24.
First, they had to calm the noise saying they didn't belong by battling against three much larger teams. While most teams try to keep this noise away from their players, Suwannee's coaches wanted their boys to hear it and use it as motivation. They wanted this motivation to build their players up enough to conquer the gauntlet set before them over the three day tournament.
The young Suwannee Bulldogs All-Stars began their journey against the Kissimmee All-Stars, a game that pushed the Bulldogs to their limit. Throughout the game, the score went back and forth, with Suwannee finding themselves down 5-4 in the final inning. They weren't out, though, as Carter Chapman took the plate, crushing a triple as one of his three hits of the day, before stealing home and tying the game 5-5.
Markese Hunter then stepped up to the plate and belted out a double, putting himself in scoring position. The All-Star Bulldogs had the crowd on their feet when Landon Westrich, who already had two hits on the day, added his third when he drove the ball into right field, scoring the speedy Hunter from second base. Also contributing to the big day at the plate for the Bulldogs was Amar'e Vought, who collected two hits out of three at-bats. The All-Star Bulldogs claimed victory over Kissimmee with a score of 6-5.
Next, the Bulldogs took on the boys of San Carlos, where they ended up winning with a score of 18-1.
For their final game of the weekend and a shot at the State Tournament, the All-Star Bulldogs took on the Fernandina Pirates. The Bulldogs jumped into an early 6-0 lead after the first inning, but the Pirates answered in the third with five runs of their own, bringing the score to 6-5, still in favor of the Bulldogs. The score moved back and forth between the two teams until the bottom of the fifth inning, with the Bulldogs trailing the Pirates 11-9.
Amar'e Vought got things started with a single and, later, Abel Horne scored a triple, bringing the Bulldogs within one run of the Pirates. Eli Ogles then knocked Horne home with a single of his own, tying the score 11-11. That score did not last long, as the Bulldogs were not done in their half of the fifth inning. Dierks Driver then singled, pushing Ogles to second base. Ogles proceeded to steal third base, while Driver stole second, placing both players in scoring position.
With Chapman at the plate, Ogles took advantage of an opportunity and stole home, giving the Bulldogs the lead, 12-11, while Driver stole third base. Chapman rewarded Driver by scoring him on a fly ball to the third baseman, which fell for a hit. The Bulldogs' lead extended 13-11 before the Pirates were able to get a handle on the inning. Later in the inning, Chapman stole home for the Bulldogs' final run of the game, giving them a 14-11 lead with the Pirates only having one at-bat left.
With this win, the Suwannee County 8U All-Star Bulldogs did something that had not been accomplished in 20 years by going undefeated. On Thursday, June 24, the Suwannee County 8U All-Star Bulldogs will continue their campaign for the title of State Champions in West Palm Beach.