BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Bradford Youth Athletics’ Rookie All-Star baseball team just competed in the Babe Ruth state tournament and is now preparing to play in the Cal Ripken World Series, which will take place Aug. 1-11 in Ocala.
The cost for each player to participate in the World Series is approximately $250, so the team is collectively trying to raise approximately $3,000.
If you’d like to make a donation, you may do so via Cash App ($rookieallstars24).
Funds remaining after participation costs are paid will go toward travel and food expenses.
This year’s Rookie team won its district championship and then claimed the Small League Invitational Tournament championship trophy by going 4-0, scoring a total of 53 runs and allowing four.
Bradford participated in the June 20-23 Babe Ruth State Tournament in Jacksonville and was one of four teams out of 12 to make it to the tournament’s final day.
The team’s first tournament game was a 16-8 win over Oakleaf on June 20. Liam Hobbs drove in four runs, while the team as a whole had 32 hits.
Oakleaf led 3-0 until Bradford scored four runs in the second inning. Trey Waldon singled and scored on an Easton Wiseman triple. After Wiseman scored on a Hobbs ground out, Braxton Lee tripled and scored on a Cash Collins single. With two outs, Bryson McCollum, Rylan Noegel and Wynnlin Lansford all singled, with Collins scoring on Lansford’s hit to put Bradford up 4-3.
It was 8-5 in favor of Oakleaf when Bradford scored five runs in the fourth. With one on and two outs, Ashton Brown doubled to score McCollum. Chance Reed followed with a double as well before he and Brown both scored on a Waldon triple. Wiseman then hit an RBI triple, followed by Hobbs’ RBI single.
Bradford closed the game out with a five-run sixth. After a Reed leadoff double, Hobbs and Lee hit back-to-back RBI doubles with two outs. Mason Poole hit an RBI single, while McCollum drove in the final two runs on a triple.
McCollum went 4 for 4 with two RBI, while Brown, Hobbs, Lansford, Lee, Noegel, Waldon and Wiseman each went 3 for 4. Lansford, Waldon and Wiseman each had two RBI, while Brown and Lee each had one.
Poole went 2 for 2 with an RBI, while Reed and Sebastian Almanzar each went 2 for 4.
Collins finished with one RBI.
The team suffered a 20-1 loss to Julington Creek Baseball Diamond Kings on June 21. Reed, who went 2 for 2, drove in the lone run on one of his two doubles.
Noegel also went 2 for 2 against the team that would eventually win the championship.
Bradford needed a win on June 22 to advance to the June 23 semifinals. Brown and Hobbs combined to drive in five runs to help the team get that win by a score of 8-3 over Levy Park.
Brown put Bradford on the board first with a two-run homer in the top of the first.
Waldon hit an RBI single in the third, while Almanzar hit an RBI triple in the fourth, giving Bradford a 4-1 lead.
Bradford went up by seven runs with a four-run fifth. Noegel hit a leadoff double, followed by Lansford hitting a single. Brown hit a double to score Noegel. After a Waldon single, Wiseman drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. Hobbs then hit a two-run double to make the score 8-1.
Hobbs finished with two RBI, while Brown, who was 3 for 3, had three.
Noegel and Waldon went 4 for 4 and 3 for 3, respectively, with Waldon driving in one run.
Almanzar and Reed each went 2 for 3, with Almanzar driving in one run.
Wiseman finished with one RBI.
Bradford’s tournament came to an end with an 11-4 loss to Ponte Vedra.
McCollum went 2 for 2 with an RBI double.
Hobbs and Wiseman each drove in a run on a ground out.
