Although the Columbia 11u all-stars lost the championship game of the Invitational World Series in Center, Texas Monday night to Monroe (La.), they got the redemption they so badly wanted.
Two weeks ago, Columbia lost the state championship to Laurel National on a walk-off home run in their third head-to-head matchup of the tournament. But with a trip to the World Series title game on the line Monday afternoon, Columbia got its revenge as Nik Carney was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to win 6-5 in the final at-bat over Laurel National.
“They were not upset at all,” Nicole Carney said about losing the championship game. “They got to do the one thing they wanted: beat Laurel. We sent Laurel home, and they were very excited about doing that. The boys loved it. ”
Carney hit a grand slam and Caden Mingo launched a two-run shot in the title game, but it wasn’t enough to top Monroe. Columbia fell 8-6 to finish second in the Invitational World Series but enjoyed the journey to get there.
“This has been their best year ever and a phenomenal summer. They grew a lot, learned a lot, and they came together as a team,” Carney said. “They matured as a team, and I can honestly say these boys love one another as a team and friends and have bonded. They want to stay together for their 12-year-old year and go all the way next summer.”
Columbia began the pool-play portion of the tournament Saturday morning with a 6-4 win over Center then topped Bullard (Texas) 4-2 in the afternoon. The 9u squad remained hot Sunday afternoon with an 8-1 victory over Eord (La.) but lost its final game of pool play 6-5 to Monroe to enter Monday’s single-elimination bracket as Pool A’s No. 2 seed.
The young sluggers braved the heat to outlast Ruston (La.) 8-7 Monday afternoon before playing Laurel and Monroe in the semifinals and championship, respectively.
“We were playing in 110-degree weather in the middle of the day, and we didn’t have one kid complain, whine or fuss,” Carney said. “They were drinking their water, and we didn’t have one kid cramp because they knew they needed to drink water. They put their heart and soul into this. This was the hottest place they’ve played in in their lifetime, and they didn’t let it bother them.”
Columbia 11u features Austin Baughman, Mikell Thomas Breland, Ayden Buckley, Roman Lawrence, Trace McDonald, Cameron Rogers, Dillon Rowley Jackson Speir, Carney and Mingo and coaches Matt Carney (head), Keith Baughman and Gannon Rogers.
Pictured Above: Columbia 11u’s Trace McDonald delivers a strike during the state tournament July 6 against Mendenhall in Laurel. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
