Suffice to say, the Brooksville Bulldogs travel team had a pretty good weekend up in Sumter County.
With two entries in the Dixie Baseball Majors (19U) All-Stars State Tournament at Kenny Dixon Sports Complex in Bushnell, one of them a Pre-Majors (17U) squad, the Bulldogs didn’t even have to bother playing a final when they ended up as the last two teams standing.
At the end of the month, the Bulldogs squads will go on their respective World Series, the Majors to Monroe, La. and the Pre-Majors to Guntersville, Ala. Both tournaments start on July 29.
“Both teams played really good,” Bulldogs head coach Bruce Price said. “They (the opposing teams) were competitive. They just didn’t have the pitching that we had. And we have really, really good hitting. I think that kind of played a huge role.”
Though primarily pulling from Hernando County, the Bulldogs do feature some players from Wesley Chapel, Lakeland and even Sumter County. The Pre-Majors Bulldogs simply had to get in two games to qualify for the World Series, since the state had no other teams in that division.
On Saturday, the Majors Bulldogs won 7-2 over East Lakeland, scoring three times in the bottom of the first inning and adding four more in the second. The first five Bulldogs batters reached base in the first, with Corey Mills hitting a leadoff double and Austin Keene following with a walk before three straight singles by Jeff Meisner, Peyton Whitehead and Orlando Pena Jr.
Keene walked and Meisner was hit by a pitch to start the second, preceding a two-run double by Whitehead. Three walks, the last to Rafeal Reyes with the bases loaded, accounted for another run.
Meanwhile, the Pre-Majors Bulldogs posted a 9-0 victory over Capitanes. The two Bulldogs clubs then squared off on Sunday, with the Majors coming out on top, 15-4.
The Pre-Majors Bulldogs then had a rematch with Capitanes later on Sunday, again posting a 9-0 triumph. They plated seven runs in the bottom of the first, as eight consecutive men reached base. Kyler Peterson, Jonathon Allion and Jarrett Hansell all singled in the frame, and Javy Bonilla doubled. The rally was also aided by three walks and a hit by pitch.
Matt Severson doubled home a run in the fourth, and Allion came across on a wild pitch to finish off the scoring. That left only the two Bulldogs in the double-elimination tournament, so there was no need to play another contest.
“We know from going (to the World Series) last year, the competition is really, really tough,” Price said. “You’re dealing with kids one or two years into college. The pitching is A-plus. They’re teams that don’t make very many mistakes. It comes down to who makes the least about of mistakes and executes late in ballgames.”
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.