Holiday Classic Results

See you on the fields

-AC

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Fall State Championship Recap

Big League Dreams:
11-Under:
With 8-Team Division, Sunday's playoffs become a battle ground for every team.  No matter what seed you advance as, you still have to win three hard games in order to take home 1st Place.  Rampage advanced as the 4th Seed with a 1-1 record.  After winning their quarter final game easily, they found themselves pitted against not only the 1st Seed Nomads, but the team that handed them their loss on Saturday.

Merry Christmas

See you on the fields

-AC

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Thanksgiving NIT Recap

Thanksgiving is a notoriously wet weekend in California.  This is a bigger than normal problem with Thanksgiving being a Super NIT tournament, and usually having teams from out of state or further away joining the tournament, vying for an Elite World Series berth.  Despite being hit by rain hard on Friday, the skies stayed clear and dry from Friday afternoon through the rest of the weekend, giving field crews a chance to tend to the fields, and with some pushed back game times, we were able to fit the entire tournament into a shortened weekend.

The sun setting over Fountain Valley on Saturday Night

Veteran's Day NIT Recap

It's easy to get caught up in a game of baseball.  A close play at second, a borderline strike, in the heat of the moment, these can seem like all that matters.  It's easy to forget that we have brave men and women overseas, protecting our country and allowing us to play baseball every weekend.  Many of our umpires are former servicemen, along with parents and grandparents of countless players in our program.  We thank you for letting us live free and play baseball every weekend.

Legend Recap - November 5th, 2013

With just four fields last weekend, the small tournament provided plenty of exciting games, and a particularly incredible finish in the 12-Under game.

9-Under:
They say offense wins games, but defense wins championships.  This was evident in the 9-Under Championship Game.  The 1st Seed Bat Rays were cruising through the weekend, scoring in the double digits each game, and holding their opponents to just a handful of runs.  Unfortunately for them, by the time the Championship game rolled around, they were short on pitching, and the So Cal Outlaws were just catching their stride.

Despite losing to the Bat Rays earlier in the tournament, the Outlaws came out swinging their bats, and put their ace on the hill.  After going up big in the first two innings, the Bat Rays battled back slightly, but the Outlaws put the game out of reach for a 13-5 1st Place Victory.

12-Under:
In what was possibly one of the more exciting games I've watched, the 12-Under HB Bombers and BC Prospects need 9 Innings to get their winner.  The Bombers, on their third game of the day, had been putting up big innings no problem.  As a team, they hit multiple home runs each game leading up to the Championship.  They ran into problems with the BC Prospects in the Championship though.

Headed into the 6th Inning with a one run lead, the Bombers just needed one more out to clinch first place.  The Prospects had the bases loaded when the batter drove a ball into center field.  The tying run scored, and the third base coach waved around what would be the winning run.  The HB Bombers Centerfielder put a throw on a line, and after a great snag by the catcher, he put the tag on the winning run to force extra innings.

The extra innings proved to be too much for the Bombers, who couldn't get any additional help offensively.  Despite getting runners to 2nd Base in the 7th and 8th Innings with no outs, the Prospects couldn't capitalize to put the game away.  It wasn't until the Bottom of the 9th Inning that the Prospects were able to seal the deal.  A lead off single put them in good shape.  The runner on first stole 2nd, and though he was safe, he jammed his hand into the base.  With the Prospects having no subs, he had to stay in the game at 2nd Base.  Luckily, the next Prospects batter put a ball in the game, driving home the winning run, and sealing off a great Championship Game.

Thank you to all the teams that played in the Legend.  Here is a list of the Champions and Runner Ups.

 
See you on the fields

-AC

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Columbus Day Classic Recap - October 20th

The Columbus Day Classic saw our return to Long Beach for the second time this year.  The Los Altos staff take care of their fields as good as any place you'll play.  It's a fun park to play at, and we look forward to our tournaments there every year.  Thank you to the Los Altos crew for making the weekend possible, and fantastic.

Oktoberfest Recap

8-Under:
The Gold and Silver Brackets in the 8-Under Division could not have split more perfectly.   All four teams in the Gold Bracket were 2-0 with just 5 runs allowed separating the 1st and 4th Seeds.   This resulted in a very evenly matched Gold Bracket that was up for grabs for any team.

One team however had redemption on their mind.  Three weeks earlier at the same park, Los Al Combat suffered a Pool Play loss to Raymar to knock them into the Silver Bracket on Sunday (which they easily won).  It took them three weeks, but they found themselves up against Raymar in their Semifinal Playoff game.  Not looking to repeat history, they jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, advancing to the Championship with a 9-1 victory.

After a game break, they were ready to seal the deal, and put up a whopping 17 runs in the Championship game, easily taking home 1st Place.

12-Under:
One of the most important things for any coach, player, parent, fan to remember is that in a baseball game, anything can happen.  Even the best teams lose games, or in the Majors over 70 games.  LA Xtreme experienced that this weekend.  After giving up no runs in their first Pool Play game, they gave up an uncharacteristic 9 runs in a 9-3 loss.  This put them into the Gold Bracket, but as the 3rd Seed.  Not letting that loss get in their head, they buckled down and play the baseball they knew they could play.  Giving up 1 run in the Semifinals, and just 2 in the finals, they cruised to an easy 1st Place finish, and learned an important lesson along the way.

13-Under:
It's not often a team goes 2-0, gives up 2 runs in Pool Play, and isn't the 1st Seed, but just that happened to IE Elite Orange.  The 1st Seed Outlaws gave up 0 runs on Saturday, and took the 1st Seed into Sunday's playoffs.  They couldn't keep the streak going though, and were upset by the 4th Seed La Verne Patriots.

Laverne and IE Elite had faced each other on Saturday with Elite coming out on top.  The Patriots couldn't change history though, and IE Elite gave up 0 runs to take home 1st Place.

Thank you to all the teams that played in the Oktoberfest.  Here is a list of the Champions and Runner-Ups.

See you on the fields

-AC

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Thunder Weekend Recap - October 1st, 2013

11-Under:
Heading into the Championship game on Sunday, No Fear looked unstoppable.  Outscoring opponents 28-0 in their first two playoff games, there didn't seem to be anything that could slow them down.  They certainly weren't counting on a pesky 4th Seed to ruin their plans.

The La Costa Titans entered Sunday with a 1-1 record.  Bright and early, they found themselves facing the team that handed them their one loss on Saturday.  Not looking for a repeat outcome, they snuck by them with a 7-6 upset.  Now facing the 1st Seed with momentum pushing them, they upset the 1st Seed with a 8-3 Semifinal victory, sending them to the championship game.

Now with both teams on their third games of the day, it came down to a game of defense.  With pitching thin and teams getting tired, the Championship became less about scoring runs, and more about holding their opponents to as few as possible.  The Titans did just that.  Able to stifle No Fear's strong offense, they outscored the 2nd Seed 8-4 for the Championship upset.

12-Under:
Teams playing up towards the end of a season is a common thing.  Teams are getting ready to advance up in age, so playing at great distances against older/stronger teams is a great way to get players ready for that jump.  Stronger teams will do it early in the season as well, which is why the 12-Under division had two 11-Under teams competing against the older teams.

The 11-Under LA Clash came out swinging, putting up 23 runs on Saturday, and advancing to the Gold Bracket as the 2nd Seed. Once they got to the playoffs, they didn't look back.  Winning their Semifinal game 7-3, they advanced to the finals to face the 1st Seed.  They kept swinging the bats, putting up 10 more runs, and taking home 1st Place.

14-Under:
Some days, things just don't go your way.  The Corona Cougars had one of those days on Saturday.  Bad baseball wasn't to blame for their 0-2 Pool Play performance, it was just bad luck.  They lost both games by a total of three runs.  They just couldn't wake their bats up for Saturday's Pool Play games.  Lucky for them though, Sunday was the only day they needed to swing the bats, and they came ready.

Putting up 14 runs in their quaterfinal game, they advanced to face the 1st Seed from their pool, who had beaten them 2-0 on Saturday.  The Cougars did not repeat that performance, putting up 7 runs and advancing to the Championship game.  Not ready to slow down, the Cougars put up another 11 runs, beating the 1st Seed from Pool B, and taking home the Championship.

Thank you to all the teams that played in the Thunder.  Here is a list of the Champions and Runner-Ups.

See you on the fields

-AC

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Fall Classic Recap - September 17th, 2013

Fall in California can be a bit of a misnomer.  From clear skies, green trees, and temperatures in the 80s, there are few places better to play baseball.  Taking full advantage of the perfect baseball weather were over 75 teams playing at parks all over Southern California, from Fountain Valley to Perris.  Let's take a look at what happened all over Southern California

Labor Day Classic Recap - September 5th, 2013

Labor Day weekend is our first three day tournament of the 2013/2014 Season.  Coupled with the 4 game guarantee tournament, the Labor Day Classic was the first Global NIT tournament of the season.  With three day tournaments, the best teams of the weekend usually rise to the top before Monday's playoffs. Not all teams advanced to the playoffs, just the top few seeds.  In this format, any opportunity for a last minute upset of a higher seed is lost in the weekend's games.

This lead to a dominating performance across all divisions.  The tournament Champions across the 8 different divisions went 36-1-2, with the 15/16-Under division providing the only upset.  2nd Seed So Cal Bombers was able to defeat the 1st Seed who handed them their only loss on Sunday afternoon.

Thank you to all the teams that played in the Labor Day Classic.  Here is a list of the Champions and Runner-Ups.

See you on the fields

-AC

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Heat Recap - August 29th, 2013

9-Under / 10-Under:
From the dust of other teams came the Bat Hawks.  Starting their season's off right, both the 9-Under and 10-Under teams had successful weekends.  With both teams going a combined 5-1 in Pool Play, they advanced to their Championship Games no problem.   The 9-Under jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back, winning 11-2.  The 10-Under had to face the 1st Seed, who gave them their only loss of the tournament.  They battled hard, and came out on top with an 8-6 victory, giving both Bat Hawks teams 1st Place finishes early in the 2014 Season.

11-Under:
Four was East La Muddog's lucky number for the weekend, but not in the way you'd think.  In each game that they gave up 4 runs, they won the game.  They gave up 4 runs their first game while scoring 12.  They hit a wall in their second game, giving up 11 runs and scoring only 2 against the eventual 1st Seed.  In their Semifinal game on Sunday, they won 9-4 to advance to the finals to face the 1st Seed.  Holding them to just 4 runs this game, they scored 6 runs to take first place and the upset.

12-Under:
Some weekends see the 1st Seed from each pool breezing through the Playoffs and facing each other in the Championship game.  Other weekends are the exact opposite.  Be it lack of pitching, or momentum from the lower seeds having to win extra games, some times things just don't go according to plan.

On Sunday, the 2nd Seeds from both Pools A and B met with the 3rd Seeds from each other's pools.  After winning those games, they both advanced to face the 1st Seeds from the opposite Pools.  Both the Waves, and XT held the hard hitting 1st Seeds to 5 runs combined, while scoring 18 of their own.

With both teams evenly matched, the Championship was as close of a game as anyone expected.  The Waves took a 5-4 lead over XT, and managed to hold off a last minute surge for the 1 run victory, and 1st Place trophy.

Thank you to all the teams that played in the Heat.  Here is a list of the Champions and Runner-Ups.

See you on the fields

-AC

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Mercury Recap - August 20th, 2013

The first tournaments of the new season are an adventure into the unknown for a lot of teams.  Some teams moving up in age have to contend with bigger field sizes, while others are just getting their feet wet in the travel baseball world.  Scores wind up being a bit lopsided for a couple tournaments as teams find their footing and get comfortable with each other.  We've had teams that have gone from getting mercied every game to winning tournaments in just a few short months.

7-Under, 8-Under, 9-13 AA World Series Recap - August 17th, 2013

With the festivities and excitement of Opening Ceremonies in the review mirror, teams entered Tuesday with their eyes focused on making it to Championship Sunday.  In between them though, was two days of important Pool Play games followed by three grueling days of playoffs.  Eighty-Eight teams entered, but only 7 would be leaving with 1st Place Trophies.

World Series Opening Ceremonies Recap - August 6th, 2013

We close out an incredible 2013 Season with our week long 7-Under, 8-Under, and 9-13 AA World Series.  Monday, August 5th saw upwards of 80 teams from as close as Chino Hills, and as far away as Alaska fill up Big League Dreams Chino Hills for food, fun, and a lot of pin trading before play gets under way on Monday.

Summer Sizzlers Results - August 1st, 2013

Thank you for being patient with us.  We will be back to our regularly scheduled Weekly Recaps after the World Series next week.  Thank you for playing Baseball First.

Here is a list of the Champions and Runner-Ups from the July 27-28 Sumer Sizzler

See you on the fields

-AC

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Global World Series Recap - July 25th, 2013

The First Southern California Global World Series has finished up.  We had upsets, excitement, teams from all over the country, all vying for the 1st Place trophy.  Thank you to all the teams that participated, and we look forward to running another one next year.

Here is a list of the Champions, Runner-Ups, and MVPs from the 1st Place Teams:

See you on the fields

-AC

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Global World Series Opening Ceremonies - July 17th, 2013

The Opening Ceremonies for the First Global World Series in Southern California couldn't have gone any better.  With 65 teams traveling from 6 different states, there were thousands of people in the park, genuinely happy to be there.

Firecracker NIT and Summer Slam Recap

The Summer World Series schedule always keeps us busy for the summer months.  We will not be posting the weekly recap for the next few weeks as we get the Global World Series and AA World Series planned and under way.  Thank you for understanding.

Here is list of the Champions and Runner Ups from the Firecracker Global NIT and Summer Slam:

See you on the fields

-AC

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All Star Extravaganza / Independence Recap - July 2nd, 2013

It's All-Star seasons again.  That time of year where Travel Teams get put on hold, and teams take the chance to advance to either the Little League or PONY World Series.  The So Cal Rebels succeeded in doing this in 2011, winning the Little League World Series as Team West.

While All-Star teams are exciting, teams have a very short time to play together before the All-Star tournaments start.  The All Star Extravaganza give those teams an opportunity to play against other All-Star teams in a Travel Ball Tournament environment before they advance to their respective All-Star Playoffs.

The Natural Recap - June 28th, 2013

Here is a list of the Winners and Runner Ups in the June 22-23 Natural.  

See you on the fields

-AC

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Father's Day Recap - June 20th, 2013

There are few places that a baseball dad would rather be on a Father's Day Weekend than out at the fields.  Watching his child instinctively utilize all the skills that they've spent years working on in the garage, the backyard, under the street lights, and on the baseball field.  Thank you to dads all for the Batting Practice, the thousands of ground balls and pop flys, and the hours of bullpen work.  It wouldn't be the same without you.

Heat Recap - June 12, 2013

We happily avoided hot weather in this year's Heat Tournament, because we all know it's coming sooner or later.  The cool and windy weather didn't slow down the teams though.  With teams playing up in age, 13-Under playing at 60x90, and teams from out of state, there was plenty going on.

Memorial Day Recap

USSSA Southern California would like to thank the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much to protect our country, and giving us the freedom to play baseball every weekend

USSSA Memorial Day Tri-State Championship:

9-Under:
Three day tournaments usually end one of two ways.  Tired teams have to resort to small ball to bring runs across, or teams are so low on pitching, a slugfest breaks out.  The 9-Under at BLD was the latter of the two.  2nd Seed Chino Hills Dirt Dawgs, who only scored less than ten runs once all weekend, found themselves up against the 4th Seed Northridge Pride.  The Pride had upset the 1st Seed Tribe in a bit of revenge from a Pool Play loss on Saturday.  Both teams scored over 10 runs in their semifinal game, so it was little surprise that the Championship game went the way it did.

Trading blows the entire game, neither team could break open a comfortable lead.  The Dirt Dawgs took small lead, and were able to hold onto a 15-14 Championship victory.

Spring Classic Recap - May 23rd, 2013

Getting ready for the Memorial Day tournament has us in 5th Gear, so I won't be able to provide a Weekend Recap for the Spring Classic.  I apologize.

Here are pictures from the weekend at Steed Park in San Clemente.

Kennedy's Athletics had team in every division in San Clemente

Safe at 2nd Base on a steal.

Keeping the runner close

Redwings 2nd Baseman makes a leaping stop on a ground ball up the middle to get the runner at first

Total Baseball Centerfielder makes a running catch to save a run 

The award for Best Socks easily goes to the Crush

After hitting an opposite field shot off the wall, Kennedy executes a perfect relay to get the batter at 2nd base.

12-Under Kennedy met the Gamerz in Pool Play and again in the Championship game later in the day.

Gamerz 3rd Baseman recovers from a fumbled ball to get the runner at first.

Here is a list of the Champions and Runner Ups.

See you on the fields

-AC

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Bat Wars Recap - May 7th, 2013

Bat Wars made it's long awaited return to Southern California on Saturday May 4th.  Baseball the Magazine made long trek from the East Coast with a semi-truck full of bats, baseballs, batting cages, pitching machines, prizes, and more for what is the baseball equivalent to a kid in a Candy Store.

Premier Recap - May 1st, 2013

11-Under:
The So Cal Titans and OC Bulldogs both advanced to Sunday 2-0.  Their final Pool Play game on Sunday was against each other, so they knew that they would be seeing each other in the Championship game regardless of the outcome of the first game.  The OC Bulldogs won the first matchup between the two teams.  They turned around and played game two of a double header, but this one was for the Championship.

Spring Shootout Recap - April 25th, 2013

As our season winds to an end, the competition is heating up.  Thirteen and Fourteen year olds are getting ready for High School ball, teams in all age brackets are getting ready for the Elite World Series, and our Global and AA World Series are just around the corner.  Bat Wars is Southern California's last Super NIT of the season, and teams are going to be battling hard to secure that last Southern California berth to the Elite World series.  The super busy Memorial Day weekend is a month away, and we already have teams from around the country signed up to play.  It's going to be a busy summer, but I wouldn't want it any other way.

Heritage Recap - April 17th, 2013

A small tournament at Big League Dreams Perris lead to some strong front runners holding their ground all weekend.  The 11-Under Coyotes went 4-0, scoring 37 total runs in their run to 1st Place.  The 12-Under Riverside Spartans stopped the advance of the other two teams in their 3-Team bracket.  They won over both teams on Saturday, went to sleep, and did it all again on Sunday (though they escaped by the skin of their teeth in a 7-6 Championship victory).  The 13-Under AAA Pomona Titans didn't need to score a ton of runs on Sunday, not when their pitching and defense held opponents to just 1 run each in their Semifinal and Championship games.  The 13-Under AA So Cal Select outscored their opponents 46-13 in their undefeated run to the Championship game.

Thank you to all the teams that played in the 2013 Heritage.  Here is a list of the Champions and Runner Ups.

See you on the fields

-AC

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Fools Gold Recap - April 10th, 2013

From the first pitch to the last out, every play is important and can alter the final outcome of the weekend.  This is both true in travel ball and Major League Baseball.  The Angels are off to one of their characteristically slow Aprils, and only time will tell if it will come back to bite them at the end of the season.  Though with the A's and Rangers already looking stronger than last season, and the Angels losing Aybar and Weaver to the DL, Angels fans could be in store for a long season (hopefully they surprise us).

Easter Classic Recap - April 2nd, 2013

It is the most wonderful time of the year.  Major League Baseball is in full swing.  Both the Angels and Dodgers started off their season with a win, and from our Facebook page, it seems like allegiances are split right down the middle (with some Yankee fans thrown in for good measure).  The Angels and the Dodgers made some huge off season acquisitions, only time will tell if they will pay off.

Six of the Seven divisions playing on Easter weekend were won by undefeated teams.  Combined, they went 24-0 and outscored opponents 246-72.  Only the 14-Under division was won by a team that didn't go undefeated all weekend.

March Madness Recap - March 27th, 2013

With only two divisions playing in the March Madness tournament.  There wasn't a whole lot of room for underdog stories.  Instead, two teams not only stood out as front runners, but did so in strong fashion.

12-Under:
The 12-Under So Cal Mustangs entered Sunday as the 1st Seed, putting up 18 runs in Pool Play.  After a close 2-1 Semi-final victory, they advanced to face an undefeated 2nd Seed in the finals.  Finding their footing, they held them to just two runs, while putting up 6, taking home the 1st Place trophy.

14-Under:
The Westlake Coyotes had an equally stellar weekend.  Outscoring opponents 22-1 in Pool Play, they easily advanced to Sunday as the 1st Seed.  It took some convincing to get their bats woken up in their Semi-Final game, but they managed to hold on to a 3-1 victory to advance to the finals.  Once there, their bats were wide away, and they knocked in 8 runs while giving up just 1.

Thank you to all the teams that played in the March Madness.  Here is a list of the Champions and Runner-Ups.

See you on the fields

-AC

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Irish Recap - March 21, 2013

The luck of the Irish was on our side come the weekend.  After a long week of schedule changes, field restrictions, and more field time that we knew what to do with, the Irish was up and running, and the beautiful weekend was the perfect backdrop for the baseball being played.

Big League Dreams Perris:
12-Under:
Four game guarantee tournaments present an interesting way for the events to unfold on Sunday.  Because all teams need to play a fourth game, pool play continues into Sunday, and the championship game is between the 1st and 2nd Seeds after four games of Pool Play.  This eliminates the exciting underdog victories, but it also forces all teams to play their best baseball all weekend long.  One loss, or one extra run allowed could not only drop you a seed, but eliminate you from the finals all together.

Travelball Select Super Regional Recap - March 5th, 2013

With teams from Southern California, Northern California, and Arizona, the battle for the Travelball Select Super Regional was an intense one.  Thirty teams threw their hats in the rings, but only one from each division could advance to the Travelball National Championship.

Frozen Fury Recap - February 27th, 2013

The tournament may have been the Frozen Fury, but California weather prevailed once again (and I don't mind in the slightest).  Giving us warm temperatures all weekend and a little bit of wind on Sunday, the weather was the perfect backdrop for the baseball being played.

Huntington Beach Sports Complex:
Saturday's games in Huntington Beach provided some of the closest games I have ever seen in a day of a tournament.  Ten games were played on Saturday, six of them were won by just 1 run, two games by 4 runs, only one mercy (which was a 3-1 game until the top of the 6th), and a tie.  Because of this, Sunday's games in both the 11-Under Blue and the 13-Under Blue were well within reach of any team, despite whatever seed they were.

President's Day NIT Recap - February 20th, 2013

Our wacky California weather can't seem to stay in one lane.  Two weeks ago we had ice on our cars, last week we had a late night downpour, and this weekend we were greeted with 80 degree days and loads of sunshine (though you don't see me complaining about that one).  Couldn't have been a better weekend for it too, with three days of baseball, it was a welcome temperature change

10-Under Red:
The path to the Championship in the 10-Under Red was a similar journey on both sides.  4th Seed El Monte Dukes won their quarter final game only to be pitted against the 1st Seed SGV Hustle.  The Hustle had beaten on the Dukes on Saturday.  The Duke weren't inclined on a repeat of their first encounter.  Already hot from their quarterfinal victory, their bats were unstoppable, putting up nine runs and advancing to the Championship Game.

3rd Seed Cal Select found themselves pitted against the team that handed them their only loss on Saturday too.  Also not looking to give in easily a second time, their pitching shut out the 2nd Seed Tomateros, advancing them to the Championship game to face the Dukes.

With both teams coming off big victories, their bats were excited and full of life.  A slugfest back and forth, Cal Select was just able to squeeze by with a 10-9 Championship Victory.

10-Under Blue:
Some weekends have a tie here or there, some have no ties at all, but the So Cal Shockers found themselves entering Monday's playoffs with a record of 1-0-2.  It would be only fitting that they would win their Quarterfinal and Semifinal games, just to face the OC Friars in the finals, the team they tied on Saturday.

Both teams put up 8 runs on Saturday, giving them both the draw.  They wouldn't be able to tie the Championship game, but you know it was going to be a close one.  Both teams hit the ball hard, but the Shockers were able to squeeze a couple extra runs out of their batters, giving them a 9-6 win, and a victory that took two games to finally get sorted out.

12-Under Blue:
With five of the six teams advancing to Monday's playoffs going 3-1, the 1st Place trophy was within reach for any of the teams playing.  Baseball West Coast rose to the Challenged.  Entering Monday as the 3rd Seed, they had to play an extra game if they wanted to advance all the way to the finals.  After winning a close Quarterfinal game, they woke up their bats and their pitching, outscoring the 2nd Seed 11-3 before advancing to the finals.

Once in the finals, they continued to play strong.  Outscoring the 1st Seed 10-2, they finished their seventh game of the weekend strong, and took home 1st Place.

Thank you to all the teams that spent their warm holiday weekend playing with us.   Here is a list of the Champions and Runner-Ups.

See you on the fields

-AC

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Super Bowl Classic Recap - February 5th, 2013

The dust settled, the confetti cleaned up, the power is off intentionally, and another Super Bowl is behind us. But the Ravens and the 49ers weren't the only teams battling it out on Sunday for the Championship.  Every year, a small number of teams participates in our Super Bowl Classic, for a quick tournament before the big game on Sunday afternoon.  You get all the excitement of the big game, but without having to sit through a million awkward commercials and Jim Harbaugh's temper tantrums.

Upcoming Special Events

Make sure to head over to Baseballfirst.com to read more about these upcoming Special Events.

March 2nd-3rd - Travelball Select Super Regional

July 17th-21st - Global Sports/USSSA World Series

August 5th-11th - 7-Under, 8-Under, and 9-13 AA World Series

See you on the fields

-AC

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MLK Super NIT Recap - January 25th, 2013

With a berth to the Elite World Series at stake, every pitch, every hit ball, every play has the potential to make history, or be a nightmare.  With teams from both Southern and Northern California, Arizona, Nevada, and Florida, everyone was vying for the coveted Elite World Series Berth.  What we got was some incredible baseball played by passionate and dedicated players in a Super NIT that will go down in history.

Winter Classic Recap - January 17th, 2013

Winter Classic was about as fitting of a name as possible for this tournament.  With temperatures plunging into the 30's, us Southern Californians were dressing in layers while teams and coaches played just as hard as they always do.  Hard to believe it's going to be in the 70s this weekend for MLK (and I for one welcome those temperatures with open arms).  Let's take a look at what happened last weekend.

New Year's Classic Recap - January 10th, 2013

We survived the "end of the world" and made it to 2013.  Aside from some rainy days, we're looking to have a great and busy year.  Let's check out what happened in the first tournament of the year

11-Under:
The BC Prospects were looking to start the new year off right.  After a slight misstep on Saturday, they entered Sunday as the 2nd Seed from Pool B with a 1-1 record.  After winning their Quarterfinal game 10-0, they were advanced to the Semifinal game.  They found themselves pitted against the 1st Seed from Pool A.  Not one to back down from a challenge, they shut down their opponent's bats, holding them to just 1 Run in Semifinal upset.

The upsets wouldn't stop there though.  Advancing to the finals, they found themselves pitted against the Tustin Mets.  The Mets came out victorious in their first meeting with a 9-7 win.  The Prospects weren't going to let that happen again.  Their pitching still in top form, they held the Mets to just 2 runs, coming out on top with a 5-2 Championship victory.  Not a bad way to start your year

12-Under Blue:
The So Cal Lightning had a rough Saturday.  Going 0-2, they entered Sunday as the 7th Seed.  Not content with going home early on Sunday, they upset both the 2nd and 3rd Seeds, scoring 22 runs in two games, and giving up just 3 to advance to the finals.

The 4th Seed Spartans on the other hand, had a better Saturday with a 1-1 record, a perfect Sunday.  After winning their quarterfinal game 15-0, they advanced to face the 1st Seed.  Not intimidated by that prospect, they shut them out with an 8-0 victory to advance to the finals.

Facing each other for the second time in the weekend, the Spartans were looking to repeat their victory from Saturday.  Unfortunately for the Lightning, they were unable to keep their bats hot for a third game in day.  The Spartans grabbed, and early lead, and never looked back, clinching 1st Place with their third shutout of the day.

13-Under Red:
With no 2-0 teams after Saturday, Sunday's playoffs were completely up for grabs.  The 4th Seed BC Prospects were looking to take home 1st Place like their 11-Under teammates.  Cruising through their quarterfinal game, they found themselves facing 1st Seed T2 Black.  They geared up for a dogfight, and were able to sneak past them in the finals with a 6-5 upset.

The ABD Aztecs had some upsetting of their own to do.  Facing the So Cal Redwings (the team that handed them their only loss on Saturday, they rose to the challenge.  Holding them to only 2 runs, they knocked in 8 runs for the upset, some revenge, and to advance to the finals.

The Prospects were looking for a little revenge of their own though.  The Aztecs beat the Prospects on Saturday 7-5.  Not looking for another loss to the Aztecs, the Prospects kept their hot streak alive, putting up 12 runs, and taking home 1st Place, just like the 11-Unders.

Thank you to all the teams that made 2012 a great year.  We're looking forward to sharing 2013 with you guys.

Here is a list of the Champions and Runner-Ups:

See you on the fields

-AC

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