The Babe Ruth Baseball and Softball leagues gives both younger boys and girls ages four to 16 the chance to show off their talents on the field.
These talents, along with hard work and perseverance, have brought all of the teams to glory, as both of them advanced to the State Championship. On Thursday, June 30, the Babe Ruth All-Star 12U and 8U girls' teams traveled to Lake City to participate in the 2016 Florida Babe Ruth Softball Championship, where they will be playing until Monday, July 4. The 12U girls' first game took place on June 30 at 3:15 p.m., the first game of many that they will have to conquer through in order to reach the championship game. The 8U girls played on June 30 at 7 p.m.
The 12U girls softball team, which features girls ages 12 and under, had much success on their road to districts; their first game against Lafayette County resulted in a massive win, with the Babe Ruth 12U girls winning 16-0. Facing off against Taylor County in their next game, the girls fell to a close score of 15-13. Branford was left licking their wounds in the girls' third game, where the Babe Ruth 12U girls won 12-1.
The District Tournament was held from Friday, June 3 to Sunday, June 5. Taylor County was still undefeated at this point, so in order to win first place in the districts, Madison had to beat Taylor County twice, back to back. One loss for Madison would result in them finishing in second place. However, the team fought hard and reached victory, moving on to the State Championship.
As for the 8U girls (girls ages eight and under), they were able to move to districts after defeating Taylor County with a score of 10-0 and Lafayette County with a score of 9-5.
The Babe Ruth All-Star 6U girls (girls ages six and under) will also be participating in the championship on Friday, July 1 at 11 a.m. “This is the girl's first tournament and they are looking forward to the experience,” said Coach Kisha Tolar. “These girls have worked hard and most importantly, they are learning and building friendships on and off of the field.”
The Babe Ruth All-Star 8U boys brought pride to their coaches after having a season of success as well. They lost their first game with a score of 11-0 and fell with a 14-8 in their second game. In their last game, the boys became qualified for state after they won 15-14.
The 8U boys headed to West Palm Beach to participate in the 2016 Florida Babe Ruth Baseball Championship on Thursday, June 30 and will be there from Sunday, July 3. They are one of the six teams competing. They played their first game against Bradford on Thursday, June 30 at 1:30 p.m.
Good luck to all of Madison’s competing teams!
