Some kids wait all season for the All-Star tournament. For Tampa Bay's 9-10 baseball team, which recently won a District 6 title, it's another wait.
Tampa Bay went 5-0 in the district tournament, outscoring opponents 55-6 and beating Citrus Park 14-0 in the final. Now it must wait three weeks for the sectional tournament.
"Will it be a challenge?" Tampa Bay coach Peter Alonso said. "That's a good question. How are they going to get through the next three weeks? Team chemistry."
Alonso said chemistry has been one of the team's best attributes. He said his team is well-rounded and full of role players.
"They'll push themselves," he said. "They enjoy being on the field whether it is practice or games. We're going to be rested and ready to roll.
"The boys proved they can play through back-to-back games and they can play through disruptions."
Disruptions such as bad weather. Three of Tampa Bay's five games were affected by rain. And when one of the team's sluggers, Pete Alonso, went down with a broken arm just before the tournament, it kept on rolling.
CROWN 'EM: Bayshore/West Tampa took care of Citrus Park 15-5 in Major Softball on Tuesday to win the District 6 title.
The team, nine players from Bayshore and three from West Tampa, had a first-round bye and went 2-0 during the tournament. Bayshore/West Tampa squeaked past Palma Ceia/Interbay 10-9 before beating Citrus Park in a game shortened to four innings because of the mercy rule.
"The girls were all good friends going into it," coach Ken Turkel said. "We really have great team chemistry."
Bayshore/West Tampa scored two runs in the first only to yield three in the bottom of the inning.
"Then the girls got really patient at the plate," Turkel said. "Their pitcher walked some batters."
Bayshore/West Tampa pulled away and led by as many as 12 runs. Miranda Clark pitched all four innings in the final while Laurissa Paillion, Monica Santos and Donna Berezowski led the offense.
