Wednesday, September 5, 2001
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Wednesday, September 5, 2001 |
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Woolsey Yankees win Cooperstown tournament
The 2001 National American Tournament of Champions, held in Cooperstown, N.Y., featured two Georgia teams competing for the title. Forty-five teams entered the invitational tournament bidding for the championship and the final presented the second-seeded Woolsey Yankees against the East Cobb Aztecs. Woolsey used a three-run third inning to break the game open, leading them to a 5-3 win. The Yankees defeated the 43rd-seeded New hampshire Diamond Devils (17-6), the 15th-seeded San Diego Cobra Baseball Club (7-4), the 10th-seeded Walnut Yankees (18-10) and the third-seeded Long Beach Dirtbags (8-7) to get to the finals. Woolsey finished the regular tournament 7-0 with 2.29 averaged runs allowed. Lead-off hitter and third baseman Patrick Johnson started the game with a single. He advanced to third base on a Ryan Still line drive to centerfield and scored off of a wild pitch. The Yankees held on to a 1-0 lead until the third inning. Ahead 3-0 in the third, first baseman Cody hawn drew a walk, stole second and scored when pitcher Isac Duran hit a single up the middle. The Yankees entered the fourth inning up 4-0. The Aztecs scored a run in the fourth off of a home run by pitcher Brodie Pullen and threatened to score again in the fifth inning. Pullen hit another home run in the sixth inning, this time a two-run shot. But the Aztecs were stopped by the Yankees defense. On top of their most recent title, the Yankees were the CABA Champions and were a Triple Crown qualifier. Woolsey had met East Cobb three other times during the season and had won two of those games. Austin Kent of the Yankees was Cooperstown Dream Park's week four King of Swat champion. He played with his hometown team, the Austin Braves, out of Texas. |
