The 9u Lighting Team had a very interesting weekend at the Dry Heat Showdown tournament. Their 1st Game against a strong 10u High Heat was one to remember. The Lighting struck hard by putting up 14 runs on the board in the first three innings. The Bolts 1-5 hitters scored 13 of their 14 total runs. Solid pitching and phenomenal defense, dare I say championship caliber, was displayed the first three innings as well. But that was all soon wasted… The Bolts proceeded to give up 9 runs in the bottom of the fourth and lose the game on a walk off single that scored three runs. 5 walks, 5 errors, and 2 misplayed balls allowed the Heat to come back and defeat the Lighting. But it was maybe early in the game when the Bolts mistakes truly came back to haunt them. 3 untimely balks, and missed signs defensively gave up cheap early runs. Something mentioned in a mound visit in the 3rd inning was the ability to finish an opponent and not be satisfied with a strong lead. What could have been a tone setter for the weekend was quickly soiled away.

Game 2 was a lot like Game 1 in many ways. Strong pitching and timely hitting allowed the Bolts to stay in a tight ball game. Eventually, poor defense allowed the Lake Havasu Scorpions to win the ball game 6-5. Game 3 was a product of a poor day one. The Lighting did not look engaged and excited to play baseball. Had they performed to their usual level of intensity, they would have fared much better.

After a disappointing weekend, the Lighting have a chance to rebound in LVBA’s profound Memorial Day Baseball Bash tournament. Although going 1-5 in their two 10u tournaments, the Lighting have been the better team in every game. They have the talent and competitive edge to win any ball game. The 9u Lightning will continue to battle the learning curve of playing up, as their opponents will be bigger, faster, and stronger then them most of the time. LVBA has high expectations for this group.