Cooperstown Dreams Park For the Last Time

I thought I was done last year with Cooperstown Dreams Park when G went there with his 12 year old team.  fast forward to 2017 and the 12 year old team this year ran into a rash of injuries.  Because G is young enough to play again, the coach asked us whether he would want to go again.  I didn't even need to ask him.  He had already sensed it and started making plans.  He not just wanted, but he needed a home run after getting shut out last year.  I guess we are going back to Cooperstown!

Although we missed the first two games, G ended up playing 8 games.  Quite a bit in the playoffs.  Now we just need that home run.

Game 1.  G got a couple of singles but we lost 12-3 to a team from North Carolina called Encounter Athletics.  (this was a recurring theme through the pool play.)

Game 2.  In a rain storm, late at night, as friends and families watched,  G hit an opposite field double that looked like it might be going out.  I actually stood up, trying to fumble around for my camera.  Alas, it didn't and we lost by a lot to the Union City Bolts, 20-7.

Game 3.  We played against the notorious Samurai AV team that last year buzzed through the pool play.  this year's team was not quite so good.  It was a barn burner and featured finally G's first home run in Cooperstown.  It was a blast to the opposite field that went 20 feet over the wall!  "Boom" went my text Mom.

"Now I can go home!" I told the Samurai AV dad I was sitting with as I chased after the ball like a 6 year old.

It then ended with a great save from G who was still tired from his 7 inning game a couple of nights ago.  It was our one win in this game.

Game 4.  Not a lot happened as we lost again to Greenwich, 19-10.  G got a hit, but the game was not really close.

Playoff Game 1.  We were playing a team that was not really that good.  G ended up at the end of a Back to back to back to back home run barrage.  We ended up winning in a slaughter 14-0.  A 1-5 team just slaughtered someone else.

Playoff Game 2.  G went back on the mound on Wednesday after pitching on Sunday 7 innings and yesterday for one inning.  We were decided underdogs as we played the 57 seed.  He shut down a strong Surf Bay Red team, 3-2.  He ended up driving in the winning runs to boot.  The crowd was going crazy.

Playoff Game 3.  This one was against SC Utes, a well balanced team from Utah.  We were the 92 seed and they were the 32 seed.  There was buzz around us as we beat one of the best teams to get to this game against the 44 seed.  We took a 9-0 lead and then gave it all up and was tied 9-9 in the last inning.  G was a part of adding the fuel to fire as he was ineffective in his 1 inning after he told the coach that he could get us out of it.  Big props to him for saying that anyway.  But then he came up with 2 outs int he 6th.  We lost all momentum in that 9 inning 5th.  So when he blasted his third home run, it was pandemonium.  We then got out of it and ended up winning 11-9.  G with the second game in a row of heroics.

Playoff Game 4.  We were playing the North Carolina team we played competitively in the first game that G played.  We had run out of gas by then and lost.  G got a hit, but the team looked exhausted. 

Ultimately, this was a great tournament and G finally got his home run.  Make that 3 home runs.

Good bye Cooperstown.  Maybe I'll be a grand dad and come here again.