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Americans Beat The Heat With Their Bats, Stay Alive In Tourney

PITCHING MACHINE DISTRICT 8 ALL-STAR TOURNAMENT

Chris Hoffman/Highlands Today

Sebring American's Jan Martinez (23) slides into second base as Sebring National's Justin Bickman loses track of the ball on Saturday during the Dixie Youth Pitching Machine District 8 All-Star Tournament at Max Long Recreational Complex.

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By Christopher  Hoffman | Highlands Today

Published: June 7, 2008

SEBRING — The toughest thing the Sebring Americans have had to deal with this weekend is the heat.

But running around the bases again and again never seems to get tiring for the eight-and-under group, which won twice on Saturday to remain the only undefeated team after the second round the Dixie Youth Pitching Machine District 8 All-Star Tournament at Max Long Recreational Complex.

Sebring American defeated Okeechobee American 7-2 on Saturday afternoon after handing Sebring National its first loss of the tournament in a 12-2 four-inning victory on Saturday morning.

Sebring American played Okeechobee National in its third game on Saturday. For results, see Monday's Highlands Today.

Scott Hamilton went 2 for 3 and drove in two runs and Dalton Baker plated two runs with one swing of the bat on a hard-hit single to contribute to Sebring American's commanding 10-1 lead after three innings against Sebring National.

"These are great kids to work with," said Sebring American head coach Eric Lewis, whose team finished with 13 hits against Sebring National. "They've been working hard but they've also been great listeners, which makes it easier for us to teach them."

With a slim 4-1 lead heading into the third, Sebring American exploded for six runs on six hits coupled with some heads-up base running to go ahead by nine runs.

Logan Gregis and Clint Patrick smacked back-to-back singles into center, with Gregis crossing the plate to score. Scott Hamilton hit a triple into right field that scored Patrick, who would add to the lead on Everett Hurst's single into center.

Sebring American was not done by any means, as Gabe Gomez singled into left and after a ground-out, Baker belted a single into center that went deep enough to score Gomez and Hurst and came home moments later on a passed ball for the 10-1 lead.

Shortstop Everett Hurst showed that he is a baseball player in the making, as the eight-year old made some beautiful plays for the Sebring American squad in the field to deny base hits to the opposition.

Hurst was at a loss for words when asked how he made those plays look easy.

"I don't know," Hurst said. "I just did it."

Lewis was pleased with the play of his whole teams, but said that Hurst has turned into a leader on the field.

"Everett is always in the right position and made some solid plays to get us out of some jams," Lewis said. "All the kids on the team have the potential to make plays like that on any given day. That's the beautiful of an all-star team.

"I loved the energy and how poised all our players looked on the field. I'm very proud of all of us."

The hardest hurdle for all eight teams in the tournament is conserving energy and staying hydrated on a day when the temperatures climbed as high as 97.

"We try and teach the kids to stay steady and control their emotions," Lewis said. "They play hard when they're on the field and at the plate, but otherwise, we try and keep them drinking water to save energy to play the game.

"But it's hard when the all the kids want to be a focal part of the experience."

After Sebring American scored two runs to open the game, Sebring National responded when lead-off hitter Josh Rivera singled into left, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by first baseman Brent Melvin and scored on a fielding error to cut the lead down to one.

But Sebring American came right back with two runs in the second on an RBI single by Jan Martinez, who would score on a passed ball, to extend its lead to three.

Sebring National added a run in the fourth on an RBI single by Melvin that scored Rivera, but a ground-out ended the game.

The Americans battled Okeechobee American on Saturday for the right to move into the semifinals

Okeechobee National 13, Lake Placid 2
SEBRING — Okeechobee National defeated Lake Placid with a 13-2 victory on Saturday afternoon, eliminating LP. Okeechobee National moved on to face Sebring national in an elimination game on Saturday afternoon.

For complete coverage, see Monday's Highlands Today.

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