10U All-Stars Reach Cal-Mum Tourney Finals
Perry outlast Raiders

   The Cal-Mum 10U All-Stars, fresh off their upset of the #1 seeded Victor Blue team in the Honeoye-Falls Mendon Mid-Summer Tournament semi-finals, came home to host their own tournament while looking for a couple of more wins to cap off the 2007 season. Sporting All Tournament Team selections Kyle Pullyblank and Will Van Auken from the Honeoye-Falls Mendon Tournament the young Raiders played host to 10U teams from Naples, Perry, and Scottsville. The tournament would surely provide some tough competition for the Raiders as well as plenty of great baseball.

   The Raiders opened the tournament against Naples. Cal-Mum won the coin toss, earning the home team designation for the Raiders. The Raiders took to the field with starting pitcher Wade Herson. Cal-Mum got off to an excellent start on both the mound and on the base paths. Through the first three innings of the game Wade Herson would no-hit the Naples team. He was supported with a stingy led by Jake catcher McEwen, second baseman Ryan Sickles and short-stop Josh Neff. The Raiders bats finally came alive in the 3rd inning, lead by Ryan Sickles and Will Van Auken’s two-run home runs that would push Cal-Mum out in front with a 5-1 lead, after three innings. Kyle Pullyblank entered the game in the top of the 4th as Cal-Mum’s second pitcher. An, unassisted play at first base by Will Van Auken to go along with two strikeouts, Kyle Pullyblank would hold Naples to only one-run. The Raiders failed to score in their half of the 4th inning, leaving the score at 5 to 2. Sensing some urgency with only two innings to play, the Naples team refused to give up. Naples’ leadoff hitter in the top of the 5th inning reached base on a walk and was successfully sacrificed over to second base. Pullyblank would then strikeout the next batter before facing the clean-up batter for Naples. The clean-up batter would then step up and hammer a shot to deep left-center field at Washburn Park in what looked like a sure home run. With this shot easily scoring the leadoff batter, Naples would try to complete the homerun by waving the player home on his way around third base. The Raider’s center fielder Josh Neff retrieved the long ball near the Iroquois Road fence and he threw a perfect strike to relay man, shortstop Wade Herson. It was a close play at home plate, but with the laser accuracy and speed of Wade’s throw, the only question would be, could the ball be held. Luke Roides would answer the call and place a perfect tag on the runner to end the threat and hold Naples to just one run. In the bottom half of the 5th inning Cal-Mum would get that .run back with lead-off batter Josh Neff reaching on a walk and being driven in by Kyle Pullyblank’s single to right field for the RBI. Entering the final inning, Cal-Mum held a 6 to 3 lead. The Raiders were looking to play good defense to close the game out. After striking out the lead-off batter, Kyle Pullyblank fell victim to a few walks that resulted in a couple of runs which cut the Raider lead to 6-5.

   With the game in the balance, the Raiders would respond when second baseman Marty Callan and first baseman Will Van Auken combined to make the plays on two consecutive ground balls, each good for outs, to end the game. The victory moved the Raiders into Sunday’s Championship game against Perry.

   In the Championship game on Sunday, the key was pitching and both teams hoped that they had what it would take. Cal-Mum again was fortunate and won another coin-toss and would be the home-team for the finals. After several days off and a well-rested arm, Ryan Sickles would get the start on the mound for Cal-Mum. Sickles would start the game off with a strikeout, a walk, and a groundout to first baseman Will Van Auken. The forth and fifth batters for Perry would then single and a fielding error would score two runs to get Perry out early to a 2 to 0 lead. In the bottom half of the first inning, Cal-Mum could not reach base and ended up being retired in order. Ryan Sickles would come back to the mound in the 2nd inning as he set the Yellowjackets down quickly, with a strikeout and two unassisted defensive outs by second baseman Luke Roides and first baseman Will Van Auken. In the bottom of the second inning Josh Neff would reach base on an error and coaches Mark Sickles and Dan Harmon gave him the green light to steal and steal he would. Clinging to a 2-0 lead and with the Perry pitcher dominating Cal-Mum, Josh Neff swiped two bases and would eventually reach home plate on a wild pitch, for a hard earned run. Through two innings Perry held a slim 2 to 1 lead. Ryan Sickles came out to finish his day of pitching and set down the first batter with a great play on a grounder and throw out to first base. With one down, Ryan would then get a pop-up back to the mound for the second out. An unassisted out at first base by Will Van Auken would end the inning. Perry pitching as well as Cal-Mum pitcher, Josh Neff, would completely silence the bats of both teams in the forth inning as strike-outs and defensive plays by short stop Wade Herson and first baseman Will Van Auken supported the pitching effort. Clinging to a 2 to 1 led entering the fifth inning, the Perry team came out swinging. A single, a walk, a triple, and another single Perry was able to tack on three more runs. Cal-Mum would finally get out of the inning when relief pitcher Wade Herson came in to strikeout the side. Cal-Mum’s bats could not get anything going as the Perry pitcher would put the Raiders down, in order. Perry would enter the final inning with a 5-1 lead. Wade Herson would finish his day of pitching in the top of the 6th for the Raiders by fielding a grounder and throwing out the leadoff batter and striking out the 2nd and 4th batters. Down by four runs and facing their last at bat, this Raider team would not go down without a fight. Three Raiders: Nick Kline, Wade Herson and Ryan Sickles all reached first base with singles and only one out. The pressure seemed to be getting to the Perry pitcher. Facing Cal-Mum’s third and fourth batters next, the Perry pitcher would respond and play the spoiler for any possible rally. Both of the Cal-Mum batters fouled off multiple pitches and battled in the batter’s box before two strike-outs were finally recorded, leaving three Cal-Mum base runners stranded and giving Perry the Championship in a well played game.

   This was the first year, in many years that the Caledonia community has hosted an All-Star Baseball Tournament. After this years successful return, the weekend of July 12/13, 2008 has been reserved for next year’s tournament. Cal-Mum Youth Baseball would like to thank everyone who volunteered to work concessions and prepare both Tennent and Washburn Parks for play. We would also like to pass on much appreciation and thanks to all of the teams, parents, and coaches from Naples, Livonia, Perry, and Scottsville for making this possible. Special thanks go out to some key people who poured in numerous hours of time to plan and execute this event with a great deal of success: