Atmore 10U, 12U teams finish at state

Atmore’s 10U and 12U Cal Ripken All-Stars learned a lot from their experiences at the state tournament recently.

The local 10Us made it all the way to the quarterfinals of the single elimination portion of the tournament, but ended up falling 7-3 to Spanish Fort.

The 12Us lost to Matthews Park 10-7, and finished fifth in the state.

Atmore 10U coach Tim Battles said the boys had a fun time.

“The boys played real well,” Battles said. “The nine boys we ended up with, there was one 7 year old, five 9 year olds and three 10 year olds. They just did what they were told. They were just really tough and did what they needed to do.

“When we asked them to bunt, they bunted,” he said. “We got some be contributions and big hits.”

Atmore’s 10U team ended up being seeded 14 out of 16 headed into single elimination play. Atmore beat Roanoke, a No. 3 seed team, 11-2 after a rain delay.

Against Spanish Fort, Battles said the game was tied 3-3 in the fifth, but the SF team put together some hits to score four runs and pull away.

In 12U action, Atmore played in the four-team final, falling to Matthews Park.

Out of pool play, Atmore was ranked 11th with Matthews Park at 14.

Atmore 12U coach Craig Hadley said the boys played well, but errors proved costly in the deciding game.

“I told them ‘you win some and you lose some,’” Hadley said. “And ‘you’ve got to learn from your mistakes and move on.’”

Hadley said the state tournament was a good experience for the boys.

“That was a good group of kids I had the pleasure of coaching,” he said. “They played their hearts out.”