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Hometown Heroes: Dallas Tigers take home MMWS championship
BY Andrew Snyder, asnyder@starlocalnews.com
MCKINNEY -- Though it took thousands of miles of travel to gather the competitors for the American Amateur Baseball Congress Mickey Mantle World Series, the trophy logged only the distance between hands as it was passed around by hometown champion Dallas Tigers--Hernandez.
After dropping the first game of a best-of-3 championship series against the SoCal Bombers at Al Alford Field in McKinney, the Dallas Tigers rallied behind their powerful offense to win consecutive games Sunday and, with them, their third national championship in as many years. The 16U title trophy can be added to their 15U and 14U triumphs from the previous two seasons.
"Everyone was dialed in," said Tommy Hernandez, Dallas Tigers head coach. "We wanted to win this."
The Tigers scored six efficient runs on six hits in the deciding game after pounding out 11 hits in Game 2.
Beau Burrows pitched Game 2 Sunday and helped the Tigers stave off elimination by pounding the strike zone and limiting the damage an equally powerful Bombers' offense could inflict on 11 hits of their own. The Bombers stranded 12 baserunners that game to wreck their chance at a sweep and instead push the series to its limits.
"These kids have played well all year," Hernandez said after his team's win in Game 2. "We've had a really good offense. Beau, our starting pitcher, was throwing strikes and kept us in the game. I had a feeling we were going to score some runs; we just had to make sure our starting pitcher was throwing strikes and he did a great job."
Greg Smyers took the hill in the deciding game and followed suit, holding the Bombers to one run on eight hits in a six-inning performance.
After being staked to an early lead, he ensured that it held up to wrap-up a marathon baseball session.
Because both teams entered the championship series with undefeated record and the tournament featured a double-elimination format, the Bombers and Tigers had to play three games Sunday. After the Tigers tied the series with their win in Game 2, there was a two-hour delay before play resumed for the decisive contest.
The Tigers defeated Puerto Rico (13-5), Frozen Ropes Titans (3-0) and the San Diego Gamers (4-3) in succession to reach the championship round and face the Bombers, who were making their second consecutive finals appearance after losing to the D-BAT Mustangs, another local team, last year.
With their Game 3 win, the Tigers kept the AABC Mickey Mantle World Series trophy at home for another year.
Their championship roster included Brad Barnett, Benn Hawkins, Foster Sawyer, Brandon Maine, Calvin Hernandez, Tanner Gardner, Bryce Carter, Kent Myers, Ryan Robertson, Garrett McCain, Bryar Barnes, Jake Wilcox, Mitchell Hansen, Ryan Cottingame and Seth Jordan.
Hansen, who is a starter at Plano Senior alongside Robertson, was named Tournament MVP.
Gardner, who also plays at Frisco Centennial, was named the Offensive MVP.
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