by Chrislyn Russamano

Peachtree 8U outfielder Owen Shaffer receives a congratulatory hug from teammate Zach Simpson after making the final out to win the State Championship. Photo by Rodney Shaffer.

After a stunning comeback victory during the District 5 Championship game, the Peachtree 8U All-Stars continued their success at the Virginia 8U Rookie Baseball State Tournament in Manassas July 7-9.

Having arrived at the state tournament undefeated, the boys were excited and ready to play. They won their first game against Herndon 20-1 in four innings. They brought their energy and enthusiasm into their second game against Winchester. Taking the lead early on, the boys seemed to be headed to victory, but after a couple of errors late in the game, Winchester came back to win 16-15.

Even more determined, Peachtree was victorious in their next two games, winning 10-0 over Halifax and 11-7 against Manassas.

With their record at 3-1, they advanced to the semi-finals and beat Shenandoah 13-3. Playing virtually flawless defense and hitting the ball hard and far throughout the entire tournament (and supported by a highly enthusiastic cheering section), Peachtree defeated Glen Allen 10-5 in the final game to win the state championship.

Ten days later, the boys and their families found themselves meeting in Pulaski, Tennessee, for the Babe Ruth League Southeast Regional Tournament, held July 21-24. Twenty teams from eight southeastern states and the Bahamas competed over four days for the regional championship. This is the first time in 22 years that a Peachtree All-Star team had qualified for a regional tournament.

During a pleasantly cool evening game, Peachtree began the series with an enthusiastic 20-10 win over Marshall County (TN) in four innings. However, as oppressive heat settled over Pulaski, the boys, although playing hard and hitting well, found it difficult to get in their defensive rhythm and subsequently lost their following two games against Ocala (FL), 13-1, and Donelson (TN), 11-3.

Spirits were high entering their fourth game and, although the boys played well, their opponents from West Raleigh (NC) played solid defense and seemed to find the holes frequently when batting. This was a difficult third loss, 19-1, as it kept the team from qualifying for the semi-finals.  Shortstop and team captain Doyle Gehring unexpectedly called an infield huddle late in the West Raleigh game, demonstrating how the boys bonded as a team, even in the face of defeat.

The boys and their coaches worked very hard to make this All-Star season so successful. It is with gratitude that the coaches, players and parents thank the citizens of Crozet and our greater community for their tremendous support, which helped make these amazing experiences possible.

Back Row: Landon Abrahamson, Doyle Gehring, Owen Shaffer, James Sacra, Tyler Simpson, Andrew Shifflett, Zachary Simpson. Front Row: Austin Zimmerman, Trevor Hughes, Jacob Lively, Devin Powell, Andrew Russamano (with Claudius Crozet cutout), Mason Hughes. Not pictured: Coaches Billy Lively, Jim Sacra, Darin Simpson and Head Coach Jason Lively. Photo by Chrislyn Russamano.