Little Leaguers across Tampa Bay will wake up from championship dreams this morning. Those dreams will start to become realities as the All-Star tournaments in District 6 start today with the minor (9- and 10-year-olds) division baseball and softball tournaments. The ultimate prize is a berth in the World Series, which is not unfamiliar to District 6 champions. Just two years ago, the junior softball team from Tampa Bay Little League advanced to the title game, winning 20 in a row, before falling to a team from the Netherlands.
Two area teams almost reached the World Series a year ago, but ran out of gas in the regional championship game. The senior softball team from Citrus Park needed just one victory against the champions from North Carolina. But they lost back-to-back one-run games and settled for being state champions.
The Palma Ceia junior boys could not recover from a rain delay during the title tilt and also lost in the regional final.
But for the minors, the road ends at the state tournament. Both District 6 champions got that far a year ago after adding sectional titles to their district crowns. They both ran into disappointment later, though.
The Bayshore baseball team became its own enemy. In beating one team by the 10-run mercy rule in pool play, Bayshore didn't get one player into the game, as he was at-bat when a runner scored on a wild pitch to kick in the mercy rule. Bayshore had to forfeit the game because all of the players did not bat and ended up not advancing to the semifinals.
The Citrus Park girls breezed through pool play undefeated before encountering defending champion Naples in the semifinals, where they lost 7-1.
This year, Little League also introduced a tournament for 11-year-olds. Like the minors, that tournament opens today and will culminate at the state championship level.
