Weston Hawks Red 12U Lose Very Close Championship Game to East Cobb Shamrocks 12U (Ranked #4 in the Country by Travel Ball Select) in AABC 2009 Pee Wee Reese Southeast Regional Championship

The Weston Hawks Red 12U put themselves on the National Radar Screen last week in a very competitive Southeast Regional Championship. The Weston Hawks Red (AABC 2009 Florida State Runner-up) lost in the Finals to the number four team in the country East Cobb Shamrocks, 4-5.  The Shamrocks, who are also the AABC 2009 Georgia State Champs, were the favorites coming in.  They rolled through every team never losing a game in the entire tournament and run ruling virtually every team.  Interestingly, the Hawks only losses were to the Shamrocks (they also played in the third round of the double elimination tournament). 

In the first round, the Hawks faced a very formidable team (the George State Runner-up), Dekalb Barons.  With solid pitching and equally solid defense, the Hawks took it to the Barons (winning 9-2) with multiple hits, bunts and all around team play.  The Hawks were able to quell the Baron's base runners, which had team-speed like no one has ever seen before. Next up were the cross town West Boca Panthers-Black.  That game (winning 6-2) was also controlled by the Hawks with solid pitching, defense and opportunistic at-bats.  After losing to the Shamrocks in the third round, but not after having the game tied through the fourth inning (7-7), the Hawks were naturally paired with the Sharpsburg Marlins who had just come off a walk-off win against the West Boca Panthers-Black.

That Semi-Final game against Sharpsburg was a real test, as the Hawks found themselves down 9-4 going into the bottom of the 6th inning.  After making a couple of key errors earlier, the Hawks turned the tides with a huge rally in the top of the 7th inning and stormed back to take the lead, 12-9.  It proved too much for the Marlins and the Hawks prevailed in a very exciting seesaw game!

The winning East Cobb Shamrocks are now off to Toa Baja, Puerto Rico for the AABC Pee Wee Reese World Series in two and half weeks. They said all through the tournament, Puerto Rico is their Cooperstown in 2009.  They wanted to win a very prestigious National World Series event where they had to win at each key level to earn it!  Note however, the Weston Hawks Red, due to their level of play and finish in this Regional, are now on a waiting list as an alternate should another Regional winner somewhere in the other six regions within the U.S. pull out.  So who knows, they just might get the call, and another chance, to also compete for it all! 

The winner of this World Series, along with the AABC Willie Mays (10U) World Series Winner, will then earn the right to compete in the National Youth Baseball Championships in Memphis, Tennessee.  This Super World Series will pit eight different World Series Winners from across the country, representing not only the AABC, but also PONY, NABF, Babe Ruth, USSSA, Dixie League, AAU and Super Series.  There's really nothing quite like it!

Congratulations to the Weston Hawks Red for their Runner-up finish in this prestigious championship!