BROOKSVILLE – Spring Hill American may have entered the Dixie Baseball AA Machine Pitch (ages 7-8) All-Stars District 6 Tournament last weekend as something of an afterthought.
The less seasoned of the two squads from Spring Hill in the double-elimination event held at Ernie Wever Youth Park, SH American nonetheless found its way to the championship game on Friday night.
Defeating South Sumter two nights in a row proved a difficult challenge for the local club, which fell 17-0 in 3 ½ innings yet nonetheless earned a trip to the state tournament July 1 in Sebring.
“We came in here as ‘Team B,’” SH American head coach Scott Emmerman said. “We took a couple 6-year-olds, a lot of 7-year-olds. I think we have one 9-year-old. We came out here and put the brakes on a few teams, and really showed what we can learn in two weeks. We only practiced two weeks. Now we get three more weeks and get to go to the state tournament, so you can’t complain about that.
“The boys played some good ball. Today we came out a little flat, but we hung with them yesterday. That’s motivation to get out there and do it again.”
Playing in a do-or-die contest was nothing new for SH American, after it lost 5-4 to San Antonio American during opening day last Saturday. SH American bounced back to knock off Wildwood on Sunday, 25-9, and San Antonio National on Monday, 22-3.
Following two days of rainouts, SH American was one of the final four remaining teams when it squared off with unbeaten South Sumter on Thursday night. The county crew pulled off a 5-3 upset, creating a three-team tie with one loss apiece, and drew a bye into the finale.
South Sumter downed San Antonio American in the first game Friday, and immediately turned around to face SH American.
The doubleheader didn’t have any negative impact on the Bushnell-based team, as it scored six runs apiece over the first two innings. SH American could never recover, only getting hits from Rhett Williams and Jacob Lugo in the first innings, then Jayden Toth and Dillon Olding in the third.
Throughout the tournament, though, Coach Emmerman noted it was a team effort. He praised his infield, Jayden Allen at first base, Brody Hedick at second, Williams at shortstop and Austin Emmerman at third base, plus Lugo at pitcher.
“We played great small ball, and defensively we were stout. We had six errors in four games. Today wasn’t so fortunate, but other than that we did pretty great,” Coach Emmerman said. “The boys, this is the first machine-pitch tournament they’ve seen. To be able to come out here and make states is really impressive to me.
“We just threw a team together and worked our butt off, and here we are now. I know today wasn’t one of the best performances but playing the 8 o’clock game is tough, with these little guys waiting all day. Having them play in a game before us, getting hot, it was tough.”
Spring Hill National also advanced into what were essentially semifinals on Thursday, losing to San Antonio American, 11-8. Previously, SH National beat Wildwood on Saturday, 12-7, and San Antonio American in eight innings on Sunday, 12-11, then lost to South Sumter on Monday.
Host Brooksville dropped its opener on Saturday against South Sumter, 19-3, then rallied for a 16-1 triumph over South Lake on Sunday. San Antonio American handed Brooksville a 13-3 loss on Monday.
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.