Sweet Water 12U team takes Southeast Regional, heads for World Series
By Joe Joiner
The Alabama State Champion Sweet Water 12U All-Stars traveled to Staunton, Va. last week and returned home as the South Regional Champions and will now represent the Southeastern Region in the Cal Ripken 12/60 World Series held in Alachua, Fla. beginning Aug. 5.
Sweet Water opened its tournament run with a 13-3 win against the Glen Allen, Va. All-Stars. The Sweet Water offense was led by John Parker Brock, Stratton Lewis, and Xavier Lucy, who each recorded two hits in the contest. Braiden Broussard, Reed Joiner, Tate Jordan and Jerrod Dailey also contributed one hit each for the Bulldogs. Joiner connected on a two-run homerun and Broussard and Jordan each had doubles to account for the Sweet Water extra-base hits.
On the mound, Braiden Broussard, JP Brock, Reed Joiner, and Garrett Lewis combined to hold Glen Allen to four hits while accounting for 12 strikeouts.
Game two pitted Sweet Water against the homestanding Staunton, Va. All-Stars. Sweet Water’s hitting attack was held in check and Staunton defeated the Bulldogs 11-4. On offense, Sweet Water was led by Garrett Lewis and Tate Jordan who each produced two hits. Braiden Broussard, Stratton Lewis, and Landon Pritchett each had one hit for the Bulldogs. The only extra-base hits for Sweet Water were produced by Broussard with a double and Garrett Lewis with a triple. JP Brock and Dylan Mendenhall pitched for the Bulldogs scattering nine hits and collecting 10 strikeouts.
In game three, Sweet Water bounced back to the win column with a 13-2 triumph over the Winter Park, N.C. All-Stars. The Bulldogs collected 15 hits in the contest and were led by Garrett Lewis with four hits in the game. Dylan Mendenhall turned in a three-hit performance and Reed Joiner and Landon Pritchett each had two hits. Braiden Broussard, Cardarius Wilson, Stratton Lewis and Tate Jordan each collected one hit in the game. Extra-base hits were produced by Broussard, who blasted a 3-run homerun, Joiner who connected on a solo blast, and Garrett Lewis who turned in a double.
From the mound, Braiden Broussard turned in a five-inning complete game, giving up five hits while collecting 12 strikeouts.
In game four, Sweet Water lost to the Halifax County, Va. All-Stars 11-8. The Bulldogs tallied seven hits in the contest. Braiden Broussard, Dylan Mendenhall, Reed Joiner, JP Brock, Cardarius Wilson, Jaydn Smith and Landon Pritchett all had one hit in the game. Extra-base hits were contributed by Joiner with a 2-run homerun, Mendenhall with a triple, Broussard with a double and Wilson with a double.
Garrett Lewis and Dylan Mendenhall handled the pitching duties for Sweet Water, gathering 10 strikeouts and scattering nine hits.
With the pool play games completed, Sweet Water advanced to bracket play to a semi-final contest against the Southern Pitt, N.C. All-Stars. The Bulldogs started strong and defeated Southern Pitt 9-5 to advance to the final. The hitting attack produced 12 hits and was led by Braiden Broussard, Dylan Mendenhall, Garrett Lewis, Stratton Lewis and Xavier Lucy, who each produced two hits. Reed Joiner and Landon Pritchett also contributed one hit each for the Bulldogs. The extra base hitters for Sweet Water were Broussard, who hit a solo homerun, and Stratton Lewis, who connected on a 2-run homerun. On the mound, Reed Joiner turned in a six-inning complete game, collecting five strikeouts and allowing six hits.
In the championship game, Sweet Water faced the Halifax County All-Stars in a rematch. The Bulldogs avenged their earlier loss to Halifax with a dominating 9-1 victory in the final. The Sweet Water offense again set the tone and put the Bulldogs out front early for a lead they would not relinquish. The hitting attack was led by Garrett Lewis with three hits. Braiden Broussard, JP Brock, and Stratton Lewis each turned in two hits each while Dylan Mendenhall and Xavier Lucy each had one hit. Broussard led the extra-base hit category with a 3-run homerun and a solo blast in the game while Stratton Lewis contributed a double. Braiden Broussard handled the pitching duties for the Bulldogs by pitching a six-inning complete game, only allowing four hits and picking up 11 strikeouts.
Next up for the Sweet Water team is a trip to the Cal Ripken 12/60 World Series held in Alachua, Fla. on Aug. 5. Congratulations to this special team of young men and GO DOGS!