Pembroke Pines, FL. Miramar Canes 14u Shocks MVP Banditos 2-1

It was an exciting weekend for baseball in South Florida, with unbelievable weather and great competition.

This was NOT in the cards, as they say. The team that everyone was buzzing about didn't get to dance in the final dance. All of the talk this weekend in the 14 Under division was mostly about the  merger of two well know teams in travel ball one from Texas, the Banditos and Team MVP from South Florida....on paper they had the best team, so it looked like, but don't tell that to Coach Luis Alfaro and his scrappy Miramar Canes team.

Coach Alfaro, had it all figured out as he said to me on Saturday night. "well we just took a beating from the Big Boys referring to his pool play loss to  MVP Banditos, but when we win tonight we will see them again tomorrow and we will see what happens then".....well, Coach Alfaro's got lucky as he drew the Banditos in their first bracket game. The Canes  played their game and threw Alexander Nunez a slow throwing righty pitcher that kept the big bats off balance and  the " MVP Vanditos"  as one coach called them. The MVP Banditos were off balance throughout the game, they seemed to be  pressing said one Canes Coach and when the game was over, the Canes had a 2-1 shocker.
The Miramar Canes would go on to lose their semifinal game to the eventual champion the Ironpigs Baseball team from Port Charlotte, but to the Canes and Coach Alfaro this win against the MVP Banditos teaches  his kids not to quit or give up and that the game has to be played on the field and not on paper.

Team Florida's 9u & 10u teams went back home with both teams earning their way to the Elite World Series, but not both would win their divisions. The 9u  team defeated Team Miami in highly contested game to capture their berth while the 10u by virtue of Miami Baseball winning the Thanksgiving Super NIT earned a passed down berth. Miami Baseball last year's Elite World Series Champion are on a roll as they won their second consecutive Super NIT. In other action, the Tampa Tribe 11u team defeated Stealth XPE 5-0 in the Championship Game in a pitchers duel. In our largest pool of teams (20) the 12u  Strike Force 12u went back home with a berth as well, they defeated the South Florida Storm.


PB Pal 13u &  Miami Prospects 8u Roll to Earn Their Berth
Team PB Pal 13u plays in a league in Palm Beach where they play up in the 14u division to get better in hopes that when they come down to play in his division 13u his team is ready to play against the better teams...and that they did. PB Pal defeated some of the best 13u teams in South Florida. Pal  defeated a well travel and probably one of the best teams in South Florida In Team Select to get to the Championship Game. Pal defeated the Pembroke Lakes Bulldogs Red to capture their berth to the Elite World Series, this will be Pal's first trip to the USSSA Elite World Series.

In the 8u division the Miami Prospects defeated ESP Matrix to earn their berth as well, the Prospects allowed just 2 runs in bracket play.