
Landon Crabtree scores for the 9 &10 year old Manchester All-Stars as teammate Lane Spry looks on… Photos and story by Dennis Weaver
Four was the magic number this weekend as 4 Manchester squads took part in the TYBA state tournament in Murfreesboro. The teams competed in 3 pool games on Friday and Saturday before being seeded into the single elimination championship bracket on Sunday. All 4 teams made it to the Final Four of the championship bracket in their respective divisions before bowing out on Sunday afternoon.
For the 9 & 10 year old all-stars, after going perfect in pool play and earning a #1 seed, opened Sunday’s elimination bracket with a 9 to 0 win over the Buchanan Indians. Manchester scored 7 runs in the 3rd inning to blow open the close game. Hayden Hullett picked up the win on the bump & went 3 for 3 at the plate. They were eliminated in a close and exciting semifinal game by a hot Unionville team8 to 5.
The 11 & 12 year old all-stars finished pool play as the number 2 seed after going 2 and 1 in the open division pool play. The red & black opened Sunday’s single elimination tournament against Ashland City in impressive fashion with a 14 to 3 win to open up championship play. Manchester scored 7 runs in the 1st inning as they sent 10 batters to the plate. Cody Eslinger got the win on the hill for Manchester to earn them a bye into the semifinals. There, they matched up with the Young Guns travel team which had outlasted them 10 to 8 on Friday. The Manchester All-stars had opportunities early in the game but were held to 3 hits falling by a final score of 7 to 0. Jake Hollandsworth, Gage Edwards and Cody Eslinger were each scored with hits for Manchester. Their3rd place finish is remarkable as they competed against seasoned travel teams in this weekend’s tournament. The 11&12 year olds will compete this coming weekend in the State Recreation division tournament against other league teams from across the state.

Isaiah Owens gets back to 1st base ahead of a pickoff throw for the 11&12 year old All-Stars as Coach Robert Hullett looks on.
In the 13 to 16 year old division, both Manchester teams advanced to Sunday’s semifinals. After going 3 and 0 in pool play, the Jiffy Burger A’s plated 9 runs in the first two innings Sunday winning their rematch over Dynasty 10 to 4 avenging a Saturday loss. Scottie Duke scored twice and got the win on the mound. Carlos Medina had a pair of hits for JiffyBurger. In their semifinal appearance, the A’s hot hitting failed them and a key injury to Medina spelled doom as Jiffy Burger fell to eventual champion Putnam County.

David Bogard delivers a pitch for the Al White Ford-Lincoln Yankees in the 13 to 16 state tournament.
The Al White Ford-Lincoln Yankees opened Sunday play as the #2 seed taking on DeKalb County in the other semifinal game. The Yankees had promising rallies in the 1st and 2nd innings end prematurely as they ended up dropping the game by a final score of 5 to 1. Al White was held to 4 hits on the game as Alex Hobbs banged out 2 singles and scored the lone run.