The 10U District All Star had a historic run in the summer of 2019.  As Beth – Wood hosted the District 2 10U Cal Ripken Tournament, our 10U District Team was installed as the number one seed. After some stellar pitching and a 4^th inning rally the Team shut out Pomperaug 12 to 0. The Team then played Newtown, who had mercied South Meriden in their first game.  After Beth-Wood jumped out to a 3 - 0 lead, Newtown fought back in the top of the fifth inning. Newtown had a 5 - 3 lead and the bases loaded with no outs. Things looked bleak for Beth-Wood at that point – but then a pop up behind shortstop, an over-the-shoulder catch, a throw to home plate for an out, and wait another throw from catcher to 3rd base for a triple play !! Beth-Wood would tie the game with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to force the game into extra innings.  The game dragged on in the heat with neither Team scoring until the 9th inning. The Newtown struck first with 2 runs in the top of the 9^th but Beth-Wood rallied for the victory by scoring three runs in the bottom of the 9^th to qualify for the District 2 Championship game!

After defeating Newtown the day before, South Meriden was set to face Beth-Wood for the District 2 Championship.   South Meriden took a 3 to 0 lead in the top of the first but that was all the runs they would score until the final inning.  Beth-Wood’s offense ran on all cylinders as it scored 11 unanswered runs. They went on to take the 10U District 2 Title without losing a game and were installed as one of the top 4 seeds in the Cal Ripken 10U State Tournament in Milford.

The State Tournament provided more challenges for the Team.  They would initially have to face the host team Milford. Beth-Wood played a solid game and won 6 to 2 over Milford, therefore setting up a date against West Hartford, a perennial District winner.   Even though Beth-Wood was considered a large underdog, fantastic pitching and defense kept them in a scoreless tie into the 5th inning. Although Beth-Wood only surrendered 4 runs all game, they were unable to muster any runs that game.  The next day Beth-Wood was eliminated by New Fairfield but they had a fantastic run in the Cal Ripken 10U State Tournament.

The 10U District Team continued to play in the Cal Ripken Summer League, racking up numerous wins along the way.  They qualified as the #2 seed in the “A” Division of that league and had to play Brookfield in the first round.  After a hard-fought game ,where Beth-Wood manufactured a few runs with bunting and their speed, they went into the bottom of the 6^th inning in a tie.  After getting a runner to second base with one out a ball was launched over the center fielder’s head scoring the run, giving Beth-Wood the win and qualifying for their second Championship game of the summer.

The Championship game against Bethel was also well pitched and well played as Beth-Wood rallied to take the lead in the top of the 5^th inning.  Unfortunately, Bethel scored 2 in the bottom of the 6th inning to take the title with a walk off win. Our Beth-Wood players had earned 2^nd place trophies for their effort.

Overall, every single player on the 10U Team was integral part of the Team’s success during the summer of 2019 but more importantly, integral to a Team filled with fun, friendship and sportsmanship.