Local teams ready for Zone 1 AAA tournament
Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/brog/Sports/62378/
BENTONVILLE — Bentonville Outdoor Cap has been fighting the numbers game all summer, usually suiting up between 10 and 11 players for American Legion baseball.
Bentonville will dress 10 players today at the start of the American Legion Zone 1 AAA District Tournament in Fayetteville after the team has lost five players during the course of the season. A couple of players have quit, while others were kicked off the team.
To crunch the numbers even more, Outdoor Cap will only play with nine players after today through the rest of the district tournament when the team loses Martin Tabler because of other obligations.
Outdoor Cap coach Kyle Blevins isn’t worried though. In fact, he’s more focused on the fact that his team has won seven of its last nine games heading into today and is seeded fourth in the district tournament.
“ That’s pretty much how we’ve played all year, ” Blevins said. “ The 10 kids that are out there are the 10 that want to be there. ”
Outdoor Cap (12-8, 3-4 in Zone 1 ) will play Fayetteville Basic Block today at 7: 30 p. m. in the final opening-round game. Rogers Kent Rylee Chevrolet will play the opening game against Fort Smith Coke at 4 p. m.
“ I’m excited, ” Blevins said. “ We’re playing the best ball we’ve played all year. ”
Outdoor Cap played well Friday against Fayetteville Lindsey & Associates, the top seed in the tournament, before bowing out in a 16-8 loss. The loss to the Dodgers snapped Outdoor Cap’s six-game winning streak.
Bentonville rebounded to beat Rogers 9-6 on Saturday but lost to Fort Smith Kerwins 18-10 in a game that had no impact on seedings, Blevins said.
Tabler will likely get the start today against Basic Block, which Bentonville beat earlier in the summer 10-8. Blevins said he wants to use Tabler on the mound today while he still had his services. After that, Blevins can then turn to staff aces Ethan McKinzie and Matthew Garza later in the tournament.
The winner of today’s game plays the Dodgers on Friday at 7: 30 p. m.
Harrison Snyder, Dan Beahm, Erin McGee and Steve Sotello also can pitch if needed, Blevins said.
Offensively, Outdoor Cap’s lineup has been clicking and is led by a surprising. 530 batting average from Sotelo at the seventh spot in the lineup.
Blevins said Garza has hit seven home runs this summer and Buster Gean, Snyder and Adam Seal also have handled the bat well.
“ It’s a solid lineup one through nine, ” Blevins said. “ There’s really not a weak spot. The bottom half of our lineup has produced as much as the top half. ”
Kent Rylee Chevrolet grabbed the tournament’s third seed after going 14-11 in the regular season and 6-4 in Zone 1 play.
KRC manager Tony Anderson said either Kyle Enneking or Drew Rosser will start today against Fort Smith Coke.
Rogers split with Coke during the regular season.
Anderson said the team will rely on its leaders in Grant Wise, Trey McKenzie and T. J. Linn during the tournament.
“ If we go out there and give 110 percent, we’ve got a good fighting chance and we’ll see how the chips fall, ” he said. “ This year the teams are more equal than it’s been in the past. That’s why it’s hard to tell how it’s going to come out. Everybody’s got a chance. It seems like we’re all in one big pack. ”