The inaugural Cooperstown Classic proved to be a big hit as Team Rawlings Elite from Laguna Niguel, California defeated the Long Island Titans of Ronkonkoma, New York 14 to 7 in a back and forth game which featured six home runs. David Clausen, Brandon Perez, and Austin Fresquez had home runs for the Elite, leading a high powered offense that scored in five of the six innings played. On the mound, Brandon Perez was the winning pitcher and he was relieved in the fourth by Griffin Canning who stymied the Titan bats in the fifth and sixth innings. Steve Foster, Andrew Gazzola, and Mat Anunziata added solo home runs for the Titans.

The two championship teams were no strangers to each other after meeting earlier in the week. In the final regular play game prior to the tournament seeding, the Titans met the Elite in a game that had extreme implications. The winner would take the #1 seed, as well as carry momentum into tournament play as the top seed. Both managers, Jared Sandler and Gregg Sarra, were no strangers to tournament strategy, and both elected to save their ace pitchers. The Long Island Titans won a close game 4-3 and thus took the #1 seed into the Cooperstown Classic tournament.

The second meeting was for all the marbles, the score was higher and the roles ended up being reversed. The Titans high powered offense was on track, but the bats of the Elite proved more powerful. The scoring was highlighted in the third inning when Team Rawlings Elite put up five runs and would not fall behind the rest of the way. After the big inning, Griffin Canning entered the game as a relief pitcher and shut the door for Team Rawlings. Pitching with a cast on his glove hand, Griffin changed speeds and struck out five in his three innings of relief.

The #1 Tri State Arsenal prevailed over the #3 So Cal Thunder 2 to 1, in a crisp low scoring affair at Little Majors stadium to win the National American Tournament of Champions for 2009. Tri State had featured a high powered offense throughout the week, but only needed two solo home runs from Ryan Shinn en rout to victory. Zak Gakeler picked up the win for the Arsenal, pitching four strong innings for the Arsenal and recording four strikeouts.

The Tri State Arsenal had an ideal first inning, retiring Thunder hitters in the top of the first inning in order. In the bottom half of the inning, Ryan Shinn launched a two out solo homer to right field that put the Arsenal on the board, and set the tone for the rest of the game. Zak Gakeler put the clamps on the offense of the Thunder, working strong and fast in the next four innings only allowing four base runners. He eluded damage in the forth, forcing a groundout and a pop out while So Cal had runners in scoring position. Ryan Shinn added another run for the Arsenal in the bottom of the forth, sending a long ball out to right center. Justin Hagenman relieved Gakeler, and allowed a run in the fifth after singles by Chase Lambert and Chris Colarossi. Hagenman stepped up though, and forced consecutive groundballs to limit the Thunder's scoring to one. Hagenman stepped up again in the sixth, retiring Weisberg, Kinder and Jones in order. The final out of the game was a ground ball to AJ Wright, who through a seed across the diamond to end the game.

The So Cal Thunder, from the Los Angeles Area, was coached by Don Fehmel. It was an exciting week for the Thunder, who played exceptional baseball outscoring opponents 39 to 10 in tournament play coming into the championship game beating the likes of the #11 Massachusetts All-Stars (MA), and cross town rival #10 So Cal Outlaws. For the Arsenal, who were coached by Dan Hagenman, they rolled through the tournament allowing just three runs in pool play, and scoring seventy-eight runs in tournament play. The National American Tournament of Champions victory was fifth tournament championship for the Arsenal this season.

The #1 Tustin Mets Baseball Club from Southern California beat the #19 Connecticut Cardinals from Fairfield County, Connecticut 7 to 6 in an exciting back and forth game that went into extra innings. Dylan Doherty hit a sacrifice fly with one out in the bottom of the seventh and when the throw to the plate skipped past the Cardinals catcher and into the dugout, Nick Peabody strolled home for the game winning run. Scott Christopherson earned the win for the Mets, pitching four strong innings in relief and belting a clutch three run home run in the fifth.

After two innings, it looked like it was going to be a low scoring affair. No runs scored in the first two innings and starting pitchers Willie Burger for the Cardinals and Nathan Gill for the Mets were in control of the game. In the top of the third, Connecticut brought five runs across highlighted on home runs by Jake Walkinshaw and Brandon Ginnetti. Tustin however, answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs and showed that they would not back down. There was no action in the fourth and set up for a fifth inning that changed the momentum of the game. No runs scored in the top of the fifth but it proved to be the key moment of the game, not because of what it was, but because of what it wasn't. Scott Christopherson was in his second inning in relief and found himself in a jam that could have busted that game wide open. Connecticut had the bases loaded with no one out and held a 5 to 2 lead. It was now or never for Christopherson, who had no room for error in an intimidating situation; bases loaded nobody out. The first out of the inning came when Nick Ferraro was tagged out trying to steal home on a past ball. Scott Christopherson regained his focus, and struck out the next two batters to avoid any trouble. It was a wasted chance for the Cardinals, and breathed new opportunity for the Mets who went to work in the bottom of the fifth. Christopherson was at bat with two outs and two runners on. A solo homer by Luke Diadorian to start the inning made the score five to three and now Scott had a chance to do more damage. With a 1-2 count, Scotty hit a high fastball deep into center field off the batters eye that was reminiscent of Reggie Jackson in the '77 World Series. In one inning Scott, stepped up on the mound, and then delivered a legendary blast at the plate. It was a knock out blow no doubt, but it wasn't fatal for the Cardinals who answered in the top of the sixth. Anthony Amoroso had a solo jack that tied the game at six and sent the crowd into frenzy. After six innings the score was now tied. This was championship baseball at its finest. In the bottom of the seventh, Nick Peabody reached base and was followed by Matt Avila who singled to center. Christian Molfetta popped out in the infield and then Dylan Doherty hit a fly ball to right. Peabody bluffed a tag on the fly ball, and when the throw skipped by the catcher, Peabody scored the winning run. Peabody was mobbed next to the plate and the game was over.

The Connecticut Cardinals were coached by Tom Burger. The Cardinals had nothing to hang their heads after a tremendous run in tournament play beating some great teams along the way. The #14 Conejo Panthers from California, #3 Shrub Oak Storm of New York and the #7 RISE Baseball of Virginia were all victims of the power offense and gritty play of the Cardinals. For the Tustin Mets, coached by Pat Doherty, they ran the table and finished week #11 undefeated as the #1 seed. The Mets are a community team from Tustin, California and beat the talents of the #8 Jersey Shore Stallions from New Jersey, the #12 Pottsville Pythons of Pennsylvania and the #16 Los Angeles Rattlers of California en route to their championship victory.

The #7 seeded Team Rawlings from California defeated the #4 Chicago North Shore Stars 10 to 8 in an exciting high scoring championship game. Both teams came into the game with reputations of high powered offenses and neither team disappointed combining five home runs on the evening. Bryce Dyrda for Team Rawlings and Kyle Randick for the Chicago North Shore Stars each had two homers in the contest driving in four runs a piece. Jake Sola, who came in to pitch in the third inning, earned the win for Team Rawlings as he struck out five batters and did a great job of slowing down the offensive attack of the Stars.

The capacity crowd at Little Majors Stadium had plenty to cheer for Thursday night and the excitement started right after another tremendous fireworks display. Bryce Dyrda led off the game with a solo home run that had Team Rawlings' dugout and fan section on their feet. Dyrda set the tone in the top of the first and inspired his team to manufacture another run giving Team Rawlings a quick two run lead. The North Shore Stars did not panic however, and proved in the bottom half of the inning that no lead was safe Thursday night. The Stars responded with three runs of their own in an inning that was highlighted by a towering two run bomb by Kyle Randick putting the Stars up 3 to 2. In the top of the second, one swing of the bat by Bryce Dyrda recaptured the lead for Team Rawlings on a two run dinger which was Bryce's second homer of the game. The Stars responded in the bottom of the second and used patience at the plate to lead to two more runs making the score 5 to 4. By not chasing pitches out of the strike zone Chicago plated two runs via bases loaded walks. Alex Malzone protected the lead in the top of the third and retired Team Rawlings in order, striking out the side. The Stars kept the foot on the gas pedal in the bottom of the inning and knocked out Team Rawlings Starter Bryce Dyrda, after Kyle Randick's second two run homer of the game. Jake Sola towed the rubber in relief and finished the inning, keeping the Stars at seven runs. Team Rawlings was wounded and Jake Sola did a great job of stopping the bleeding. He got his team out of the inning and kept his team in the game. Sola's job in the third was huge because in the fourth, Team Rawlings went back to their game, and exploded for a six run inning. Three hits, three walks, and a two run homer by Lucas Garcia accounted for the six runs that put Team Rawlings back on top. Sola put up zeros in the fourth to protect the 10 to 7 lead. The fifth inning had no scoring from either team and was the only inning of the game where that could be said. Trey Fulton was in relief for the Stars and delivered a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the sixth to give his team a chance in the bottom of the sixth. Sola took the mound in the sixth and had an intense focus in his eyes. Tyler Broders led off the inning and was retired on a lineout to the pitcher. Sola was two outs away and was composed on the mound like a crafty veteran. A bobbled ball in the infield hit by Spencer Beatty and a single by Connor Kerns put base runner on, and got the hearts pumping in the stadium. Sola struck out Trystin Raikes and was now one out away from winning the week #10 Championship. Trey Fulton hit a rocket to right center that scored Spencer Beatty, and attracted a collective gasp from Team Rawlings' players and fans. Fulton rounded first and was headed to second when the throw from the outfield was heading home. The ball was cut off in the infield and fired to second. If Fulton is safe, the Stars have the tying run on second base. If Fulton is out, the game is over and Team Rawlings can celebrate a championship. The throw to second was right on the money and had Fulton tagged just before he could reach the bag. Eighteen runs, fifteen hits, five homers, and four lead changes in Thursday nights game that Team Rawlings can remember for a lifetime.

The Chicago North Shore Stars were coached by Bob O'Donnell. The week #10 appearance for O'Donnell made it his third championship appearance in the last four years. The North Shore Stars were a collection of players that represented six states including; Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. The Stars cruised through the tournament and had impressive wins against the #8 Las Vegas Warriors from Nevada and the #13 Club All Star of California. Pete Benzer was the skipper for Team Rawlings and had assembled the payers specifically for this tournament. Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, Team Rawlings played exceptional baseball in order to knock off the #2 North Coast Stars from New York and the #3 Hard 90 Rally from California.

The American Avengers from Houston Texas defeated the OK Jammers from central Oklahoma 9 to 1 as both teams lived up to the hype and were featured as the top two seeds. For the home team, American Avengers, the game was controlled offensively by Colton Wardle. Colton had three hits on the game, scored three runs, and had two home runs responsible for five runs batted in. That was plenty of support for Caleb Morris, the starting pitcher for the Avengers, who went all six innings for the complete game victory while allowing only one run.

In the top of the first inning, the Jammers scored a run and took a quick lead. Will Pickens got the inning going with a single and then moved into scoring position by stealing second base. Pickens scored on a groundout by Sean Dixson and just like that the Jammers were on the board. The lead however did not hold very long. In the bottom of the first, the Avengers responded and evened up the score at one. There was no scoring in the second inning or in the top of the third but the Avengers put big numbers up in the bottom of the third. It started with a towering solo home run by Colton Wardle. A single by Cameron Kremers, a walk by Caleb Morris put runners on base, and a single by Johnny Rizer scored the second run of the inning. A wild pitch and a single by Ryan Leftwich scored two more runs. It looked like the Avengers were set for more scoring in the inning on a single by Daniel Sobarzo but the Jammers got out of the inning on a nifty 9-4-5 double play. After three innings the Avengers were up 5 to 1 and Caleb Morris was dealing striking out the side in the second and third inning. In the top of the fourth, Morris struck out the side again making it ten strikeouts in a row. In the bottom of the fourth the Avengers tacked on four more runs on a grand slam from Colton Wardle, giving him his second home run of the game. The Avengers were now up eight runs, and that was plenty for Caleb Morris. He fed a steady diet of inside fastballs and hard curves away the last two innings recording five of the last six outs via the strikeout. Morris went all six innings and recorded an amazing fifteen strikeouts. What was even more amazing, is that minus the first two outs of the game, and the final out of the game, Morris did not even need a defense. Fifteen outs in a row came from strikeouts.

The OK Jammers came into the game with a 53-9 record and have won six tournaments this year. Head coach Wayne Tyler led the Jammers to several impressive wins on his way to the championship game including comeback wins against the #7 So Cal Lumberkings from California and #3 Wisconsin All-Stars. The American Avengers came into the game with a record of 45-16 and were the 2009 Triple Crown Slump Buster Champions The Avengers had two close calls through the tournament against the #32 Deep Run Thunderhawks of Pennsylvania winning by two runs and the #9 Fresno Blue Devils from California where they won by a single run.

Gladiators Baseball of Beaumont, Texas remained supreme for Week #8 as they showed their power in knocking off the #6 Texas Longhorns from Katy, Texas 6 to 3 in an exciting, well played championship game at Little Majors Stadium. Lead by the right arm of Devon Roedahl and the power bat of David Ortego, Roedahl tossed a complete game striking out nine, scattering five hits while giving up the three runs. David Ortego had two hits on the night both leaving the field of play earning three RBIs on his two home runs. Texas Longhorns had three players with more than one hit and got three quality innings from starting pitcher Ty Carpenter. Kody Clemens, Tyler Whillock, and Taylor Jiral were the Longhorns responsible for the six hits, and Kody drove in all three runs.

From the beginning of the game it was clear that any production offensively for both teams was going to have to be worked hard for. Starting pitchers Devon Roedahl and Ty Carpenter were in control of the game and stayed in counts that were favorable to the pitcher. Both changed speeds well and controlled the game by keeping the hitters off balance and hammering the fastball on the inside of the plate. Carpenter only made two mistakes in his three innings of work that resulted in home runs by Jake Cochran in the first and David Ortego in the third. For Roedahl, his three runs allowed all came from disciplined hitting by Kody Clemens. Kody took a fastball on his fists and slapped it through the 5.5 hole for an RBI in the first, and stayed through another inside fastball driving a liner to center field in the fifth for his second and third RBI. Pitching in relief for Gladiators Baseball was Jeremy Johnson and Tyler Whillock who both gave up two runs in their one inning of work. Both teams played well and matched up for an exciting game under the lights at Little Major's Stadium. The fundamentals of the game were displayed and both teams showed sportsmanship equally in triumph and defeat.

The Texas Longhorns are coached by Dave Brown and cruised through tournament play outscoring their opponents 37 to 6. Gladiator Baseball were lead by Morgan Walker and shared similar success through tournament play as their in state foe outscoring opponents 35 to 5. The impressive win for Gladiator Baseball improves their record to 35 wins 22 losses and 1 tie on the season.

The #2 USA Travel Baseball Club showed off their power and hit an impressive eight home runs as they defeated the top seeded St. Louis Diamond Dawgs 13 to 4. USA Travel Baseball did not waste any time either, getting started in the first inning with a first pitch leadoff home run by Rafa Amanau. Amanau had two home runs for the game but was topped by Johnny Register who had three. The St. Louis Diamond Dawgs had a big inning in the bottom of the third that lead to a grand slam by Ian Nelson. Picking up the win for USA Travel Baseball Club was Johnny Register who racked up twelve strikeouts, giving up only two hits and not allowing an earned run.

Rafa Amanau's leadoff homer got the USA Travel Baseball Club rolling and was the catalyst for a four run top of the first inning capped off by a three run home run by Johnny Register. Three more runs in the second inning made it 7 to 0 with Amanau's second homer of the game and a two run blast from Danny Cepeda. A rally by the Diamond Dawgs in the bottom of the third got the crowd involved and Ian Nelson's Grand Slam had everyone in the stadium on their feet. For a moment it looked like the Diamond Dawgs could execute the comeback but had trouble containing the bats of USA Travel Baseball Club. The top of the fourth had two more dingers with Drew Buckhault getting his first and Johnny Register hitting his second for the game. Register had a six run lead to work with and went to work in the bottom of the fourth. Register put the clamps down and struck out seven of the last nine Diamond Dawg batters. Register also sparked more scoring in the sixth after hitting a leadoff homer, making it three home runs on the game. Pinch hitter Brady Acker tacked on a two run bomb for the eighth and final home run for USA Travel Baseball Club.

The USA Travel Baseball Club had never played together prior to the Dreams Park tournament but meshed well as a team and hit an astounding 63 home runs for the week. Their path to the tournament included wins against the #34 California Golden Gators of California, the #18 M-Pact Baseball of Florida, the #7 Knoxville Stars of Tennessee, and the #6 Jersey Shore Thunder of New Jersey. USA Travel Baseball Club is coached by Humberto Bencomo. The St. Louis Diamond Dawgs are coached by Tim Nelson and came into Thursdays game with a 62-9 record. Impressive wins against the #33 Glenview Blaze of Illinois, #16 Arena Starz of Maryland, #9 East Cobb Warriors of Georgia, and the #5 Alexander Cougars of North Carolina brought the Diamond Dawgs to the Championship game.

In front of a raucous and spirited crowd at Little Majors Stadium, the West Pines Cobras from Florida edged the Motor City Hit Dogs of Michigan 6 to 5 for the Cooperstown Dreams Park Week #6 Championship. A five run third inning was the difference for West Pines and was highlighted by a home run from David Villar. The Cobras used three pitchers in the contest starting Anthony Gutierrez, followed by Sebastian Torres and Hector Abreau in relief. Abreau didn't allow a run and struck out four in his two inning save. For the Hit Dogs Tori Sullivan pitched 2.2 strong innings of relief and did not allow an earned run.

While the Cobras were victorious the beginning of the game was all Hit Dogs. After back to back strikeouts from starting pitcher Anthony Gutierrez, a walk put Tori Sullivan on base and Nick Hazergian blasted a two run homer. Hazergian had the green light on a 3-0 count and turned Gutierrez's fastball into a souvenir. In the bottom half of the inning, West Pines responded and manufactured a run to make the score 2 to 1. No scoring in the second and a 1-2-3 top of the third lead to a bottom half of an inning that ended up being the difference in the ball game. The Cobras put up five runs in the inning using every angle they could to score. The Cobras reached base on a walk, an error, and two hits. Runners were advanced on two bunts and batted in on a home run. The bottom half of the third gave great chances to score for West Pines and they took full advantage. David Villar's two run homer was the icing on the cake in the inning giving the already energized Cobra fan section something to dance about. In the top of the fourth, Motor City answered back scoring three runs in the inning. Three singles in a row by Matt Curtis, Nick Serra, and Robbie Jones got the inning alive and a squeeze bunt by Nick Griffith brought the Hit Dogs to within one run. Any momentum Motor City's three run inning may have generated was squashed by the work of Hector Abreau. Abreau closed the game for the Cobras and shut the door on a quality scoring opportunity in the top of the fifth. Motor City had runners on the corners with two outs. Hector however, found his rhythm and got out of the jam with a three pitch strikeout. In the top of the sixth he struck out the first two batters and forced a back side ground ball for the final out, coming on a nice sliding play by Sebastian Torres. Torres popped up from his slide, made the throw to first, then sprinted to the pitchers mound for the championship celebration.

The #14 West Pines Cobras, coached by Arsenio Rondon, came into the game with a 48-10 record. Their resume included some impressive tournament wins and now is topped off with a prestige victory at Cooperstown Dreams Park. The path to the championship included wins against the #19 Royal Palm Beach Riptide of Florida, the #22 Long Island Breakers of New York, and the heavily favored #2 Beaver Valley Red from Pennsylvania. The runner-up Motor City Hit Dogs came to Cooperstown having won thirty of their last thirty-three games. Jim Sullivan coached the club to a magical tourney run including upsets against the #13 KC Royals from Kansas, the #4 Pasadena Eagles from Maryland, the #5 Chesterton Slammers from Indiana, and the #8 Sevier County Bears from Tennessee.

The top seeded Houston Sox from Texas defeated the #11 Georgia Legends from Dalton, Georgia, in an exciting 5 to 1 ballgame. Ke'Bryan Hayes lead the Sox with six strong innings of work on the mound and an important first inning RBI. Other offense for the Sox was a two-run dinger from Zach Shirey in the second inning and hits from Daniel Lopez III and Jacob Alexander. A standout for the Legends was Blake Hamilton who pitched 3.2 innings of relief allowing just one run and recording six strike outs.

The three run inning for the Houston Sox in the second put them up 4 to 0 and it seemed like it was well enough to win the game. The Legends hitters were off balance and could not make sense of Ke'Bryan Hayes off speed pitch. Hayes was in control of the game recording eleven strikeouts on the evening and only allowed three base runners in the first five innings of the game. Two singles in the bottom of the fifth by Johnathon Slepka and Kendal Jeffries lead to an insurance run for Houston which made the game seem well at hand. The Sox were up 5 to 0 and were three outs from winning the week #5 championship. If someone once said that the last three outs of a baseball game were the hardest of the game, everyone in attendance at Little Major's Stadium would agree as the Georgia Legends loaded the bases but could only bring one run across while falling just feet short of a possible game tying home run that left everyone holding their breath. The Houston Sox won the championship and manager Charlie Hayes raised his arms just as high as he did at third base in 1996. Thirteen years ago he was the third baseman for the World Champion New York Yankees. In 2009, a coach and a very proud father!

The road to the championship for the runner-up Georgia Legends included victories against the #6 Santa Clarita Cubs from California and the #7 Carolina Cubs of South Carolina. Coached by Mark Roberts, the Legends came into the game with a 53-12 record. The #1 Houston Sox cruised into the championship game by defeating the #32 Thibodaux Thunderbolts of Louisiana, #16 Southlake Dragons of Texas, the #8 Pleasant Hill Hawks of California and the #4 The Future of Illinois.

The top seeded Team Rattlers from The Woodlands in Texas edged the third seeded TABU from Fremont, California, 4 to 3, for the Week #4 championship. Team Rattlers broke a 3 all tie in the bottom of the sixth inning in dramatic fashion with a walk off home run by Luken Baker. Rains throughout the day delayed tournament play from the "Sweet 16" games which started at 8:30 in the morning and concluded after 3 in the afternoon to the "Elite 8", "Semi-Finals and finally the championship game which started after midnight but it couldn't take away from another exciting Thursday night of championship baseball at Little Majors Stadium.

If it is possible for a 4 to 3 game to be a pitchers duel then this weeks championship was just that. Beau Ridgeway started the game for the Team Rattlers and had ten strikeouts in the first four innings which included striking out the side in both the second and third. Bryce Dyrda was up to the match for TABU as he scattered four hits while striking out nine. Both teams combined for nine hits, four of which were solo home runs and all coming in key moments of the game. Luken Baker homered for the Rattlers in the bottom of the fourth as the Texas team took a 2-0 lead through four. Then it was TABU time as Bailey Gaither homered in the top of the fifth. Up to that point TABU had just two hits and Team Rattlers pitcher Beau Ridgeway was making fast work with the TABU lineup. Gaither stood in with a 2-2 count, his team trailing 2 to 0, when he crushed a high fastball through the looming fog and over the fence in left-center. It was just what TABU needed! Gaither was the catalyst for the three run inning that put TABU up by one, 3 to 2. In the bottom of the inning Ryan Johnson turned on an inside fastball and sent a frozen rope line drive out of the stadium that tied the game at 3. In the sixth inning Team Rattlers brought in Jerry Murillo in relief. Murillo hit the first batter Matt Tarantino, but dodged a bullet by making good pitches to get put of the inning. Now it was walk off time as Luken Baker came to the plate to lead off the bottom of the sixth. Baker sent Bryce Dyrda's 1-1 pitch into the bleachers in dead center for the victory at thirteen minutes after two in the morning. Luken Baker circled the bases with a fist pump like Kirk Gibson and a smile like Joe Carter. Baker hit home plate with his second home run of the night and the celebration began.

The champion Team Rattler's had a smooth ride to the championship game beating the likes of the #4 Virginia Storm of Virginia, the #8 LBA Rangers of California, the #17 Simi Valley Trojans from California and the #33 Charlotte Megastars of North Carolina. The Team Rattlers were managed by Dave Miles and assisted by Brad Ridgeway and Karey Vaught. For the runner-up TABU, their road to the championship game included wins against the talents of the #2 East Cobb Astros of Georgia, the #6 Alpharetta Athletics also from Georgia, the #14 North Gwinnett Bulldogs of Georgia and the #30 Clovis Fire from California.

The #14 seed Bandits Baseball from Ringgold, Georgia won the Cooperstown Dreams Park Week #3 championship, defeating the #4 seed 6-4-3 DP Baseball Academy Cougars from Roswell, Georgia 10 to 0. The rain was ominous Thursday afternoon but cleared up just in time for fireworks and championship baseball at Little Majors Stadium. Will Hardigree tossed a complete game shutout for Bandits Baseball striking out five and scattering three hits in his six innings of work. Offensively, it was a complete team effort for Bandits Baseball having seven players score runs, with eight players batting in a run.

A five run inning for Bandits Baseball in the second proved to be the momentum for their victory but the run they scored in the top of the first was the most important, turning out to be the highlight of the game. In a championship game where the lights are bright and the pressure is on, the top of the first inning is always significant. The first run scored is essential to a baseball game, because then it takes two runs scored by the opposition to beat you. Hunter Moody for the 6-4-3 DP Baseball Academy Cougars was the starting pitcher and delivered a strike right down Meisenheimer Street past the looking eyes of Cole Shelton. Two pitches later, Shelton ripped a fastball for a leadoff double and put the wheels in motion for the inning. Tucker Bradley then grounded out to second and successfully advanced Shelton to third base giving Bandits Baseball a great scoring opportunity. This brought Sean Coakley to bat with one out and a man on third. Sean only saw four pitches in the at-bat but there was strategy involved in all four. Moody delivered the first pitch and the squeeze was on. The bunt attempt from Coakley rolled foul on the third base side. The next two pitches from Webb were pitchouts and Cole Shelton stayed tight at third base on both. 6-4-3 decided the squeeze was off and decided to pitch something hittable with the 2-1 count. On the fourth pitch, the squeeze was back on and Shelton was blazing down the line with the pitch in the air. Coakley made the adjustment from his first attempt and let the ball come deep in the zone rather than reaching out for the pitch. His adjustment led to a picture perfect bunt not to hard, but back to the pitcher. Shelton scored with ease and Sean Coakley ran back to the dugout with what turned out to be, the game winning RBI.

Other highlights from the game include; Cole Shelton had two hits and scored three times to go along with his great coverage of Center Field. Will Hardigree retired eleven batters in a row at one point and only delivered sixteen pitches in innings 3-5. For the 6-4-3 DP Baseball Academy Cougars Zach Williams had one hit to go along with not allowing a base runner in the four batters he faced as a relief pitcher.

The Championship game was full of familiar faces making Thursday nights contest the sixth meeting between the two Georgia clubs this year. The #4 seed 6-4-3 DP Baseball Academy Cougars held a record of 59-2 coming into the championship game and has won fourteen tournaments. Their path through the tournament included wins against the #5 seeded team TABU (CA), and the #1 seed San Diego Stars North (CA). The #14 seed Champions, Bandits Baseball, beat the likes of #6 seed Texas Nationals Team (TX), and the #2 seed Mizuno's Glory Baseball (FL).

On a cool Thursday night in June, the #2 seed Lamorinda Cougars from California defeated the #4 seeded Chiefs Baseball of Georgia 7 to 4 for the Cooperstown Dreams Park Week 2 Championship. It was a well played baseball game under the lights at Little Majors Stadium where both teams played well enough to win. The Cougars rode the right arm of Daniel Slominski as he went the distance for the complete game victory. The championship for the Lamorinda Cougars came from solid defense and timely hitting, which included 4 home runs in the championship game.

The Cougars however, were not in control for the entire game. In the top of the first inning, the smoke from the pre game fireworks still lingered as Chiefs Baseball put up a quick two spot. Leadoff hitter Bronco O'Brien hacked at the first pitch of the game and sent a rocket line drive into left field. Two pitches later, Jalen Miller sent a high outside fastball to the bleachers in the right-center gap giving Chiefs Baseball a 2 to 0 lead three pitches into the game. In the top of the second a throwing error and two walks gave the Chiefs base runners as they tacked on another run on an RBI single from Johnny Register. The Chiefs second inning Powwow was halted after a crisp 2-4-2 exchange on a first and third steal attempt, and a clutch strikeout by Slominski. In the bottom of the second, Lamorinda showed signs of life in the batters box when Lucas Herbert jumped on the first pitch he saw for a solo homer. The next hitter, Joe Demers, outdid his teammate and launched a missile half way up the hill in right-center. Chiefs Baseball answered back with home run in the top of the third by Jason Heinrich that made the score 4 to 2 and put Slominski back in the oven. After two walks, Daniel settled down and made some good pitches to get out of the inning and keep the damage at 4 to 2. Lamorinda scored a run in the bottom of the third on a fielder's choice and set the stage for what turned to be the key moment of the game. It was the bottom of the third with Chiefs Baseball up 4 to 3. Matt Bicker stood on second and Daniel Slominski stepped to the plate for Lamorinda. Johnny Register got ahead of Slominski with two hard sliders. Slominski stepped out of the box, collected himself, and tattooed Register's 0-2 fastball out of Little Major's Stadium. Two pitches later Lucas Herbert belted a homer making it his second of the night. The Cougars scored a fifth run of the inning on a wild pitch making the score 7 to 4. Lamorinda took the lead in the bottom of the third and never looked back. Slominski took the hill in the 4th inning with a different look in his eyes. He was settled down and wasted no time with Chiefs Baseball hitters. He changed speeds well and didn't allow a base runner in the final 3 innings and struck out five of the last nine batters. Jason Heinrich relieved Register for the Chiefs and struck out six of the eight batters he faced.

Chiefs Baseball cruised through the tournament round outscoring opponents 54-8. Coached by Charles Culberson, the Chiefs, from Calhoun, Georgia, came into the game with a 57-9 record, and tournament wins that include the U10 Cooperstown Dreams Park Championship in 2007. The Lamorinda Cougars from Moraga, California, had a smooth ride to the championship and beat the #3 seed South Florida Fire, 7 to 4 in the semifinal game. Rick Rider coaches the Cougars who post a resume that includes a TBS National Championship and USSSA Elite World Series Championship of 2008.

Week one for 2009 is in the record books as two teams from Florida battled for the championship at Cooperstown Dreams Park. A total of one hundred and two teams were vying for the title. The #9 Tamiami Outlaws from Miami defeated the #3 Meteors Baseball team from Sarasota by scoring in five of the six innings in a 15-3 victory at Little Majors Stadium.

The Outlaws jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Willie Padron scored from second for the Outlaws following an error. Josniel Cid scored after Alex Valverde was hit by a pitch from Jaleel Del Valle with the bases loaded. Hector Abreu singled off of Meteors Baseball relief pitcher Cody Brickhouse, scoring Sergio Lopez. David Guevara scored on a fielder's choice hit by Reny Tolentino. The scoring continued in the second for the Outlaws, as Nelson Montilla and David Silva both scored after a Meteors Baseball error. Sergio Lopez then pounded a two-run homerun, bringing in Josniel Cid. Meteors Baseball answered in the bottom half of the second inning, as Nick Blasucci hit a three-run homerun to left field. That would be all the scoring for Meteors Baseball. Alex Valverde came in to pitch 3 1/3 innings of shutout baseball for the Outlaws to hold off Meteors Baseball's offensive attack and get the win. Tamiami continued to pile on the runs. Reny Tolentino hit a two-run bomb in the top of the third inning off of Cody Brickhouse. Alex Valverde added a three-run homer off of Zak Wilson in the fourth. David Silva added rbi singles in the fourth and sixth innings as well to make the score 15-3.

Meteors Baseball, coached by Ron Filipkowski, had a pretty easy time making it to the Week #1 championship game. They defeated the #30 North Texas Titans 16-4 to open their set of elimination play. They then went on to beat #19 Team Bama in a 12-11 nail-biter. Next up for Meteors Baseball was #11 Sal Urso's High Performance of Florida, whom they beat 20-1. In their semifinal game, Meteors Baseball defeated the #7 East Cobb Braves of Georgia 8-2. Coach Julio Cabrera's Tamiami Outlaws took a similar path to their Week #1 championship. They first defeated the #24 Orlando Gators 12-5. They next beat the #8 Viper Baseball Academy of Alabama 11-9. The #17 DBAT Mustangs-Red of Texas were the Outlaws' next victims as they were defeated by a score of 13-5. The Outlaws then defeated the #21 Panthers Baseball of Alabama 3-0 to set the stage for the Week #1 championship game.