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Hopewell Baseball
Back in the Boys Invitational Baseball Tournament!
by Jeff Butler
Hopewell's Little League Baseball team participated in the Optimist Club of Colonial Heights' 66th annual Boys Invitational Baseball (BIB) Tournament this past week.
Hopewell played at Shepherds Stadium, where the Tri-Cities Chili Peppers Minor League team plays through July. Along with eight other Virginia teams, Hopewell played between Tidewater and Chesterfield.
With rain postponing their first game a week ago Thursday, their rescheduled game Saturday against Nottoway proved to be a thriller - it ranked as one of the tournament's most exciting games.
Hopewell raced out to a 5-0 lead after one inning as their first five batters reached base. Talon Stanley, Maxwell Tabb, and Reid Sweitzer knocked in the runs, and the Blue Devils would add a run in the 3rd inning when Walker Kenmeister singled and later scored on an RBI ground out by Adam Eacho. Meanwhile, pitcher Hunter Crawford was stymieing Nottoway hitters, giving up his only hit and a run in the 4th while striking out 9.
As Hopewell took their 6-1 lead into the 5th, the game momentum suddenly shifted. Nottoway bats came alive against Hopewell relief pitchers, scoring four runs in the 5th and one in the 6th to tie the game at 6-6. Meanwhile, Nottoway relief pitchers would keep Hopewell to just one hit the rest of the way.
While our Hopewell team may have bent, they didn't break. Instead of being forced into extra innings, in the bottom half of the 6th inning, they walked off Nottoway as a ball tapped towards the third baseman, which led to the winning score as the throw home didn't beat the sliding Eli Poirier. Their 7-6 win moved them into the next round on Monday at 8:30 PM against one of the tournament powerhouses, Tidewater.
A leadoff single by Tabb, who later scored, gave Hopewell a 1-0 lead that would stand through three innings. Tidewater would then tie the game in the 4th without the benefit of a hit. Again, the starting pitching for Hopewell was highly effective as Mason Temple pitched a one-hitter into the 5th inning while striking out ten batters. Tidewater finally broke the 1-1 tie to score 5 in the 5th and 4 in the 6th to win 10-1, but Hopewell had thrown a scare into the best of what Tidewater brought to the tournament.
While the loss moved Hopewell into the losers bracket on Tuesday night, they faced Williamsburg—a team that won last year's tournament. However, another strong Hopewell start by pitcher Crawford made it tough on their opponent. He only gave up three hits throughout the first four innings, striking out seven. When Hopewell's Sweitzer knocked in a run with his fourth-inning double, the Blue Devils were within striking distance, trailing just 2-1.
However, the 5th inning proved challenging again for Hopewell as Williamsburg finally broke through against 3 Hopewell pitchers to take a 9-1 lead. They would tack on one more run in the 6th to complete the victory and end the tournament for Hopewell this year. However, Head Coach Billy Horne was optimistic about his young team, as he mentioned how many on the team were just 11 years old and that they would have another year to play in the BIB tournament. Plus, I want to thank those who move on with the opportunity to play in middle and, hopefully, high school!
Hats off to assistant coaches Warren Poirier, Eddie Shelburne, and Reid Saeler, who helped make this an excellent experience for the players and the fans.
Optimist Club official scorekeeper Ken Adams reminisced after seeing Hopewell play about his experience in the 1965 BIB tournament playing for the Hopewell Little League team. "I played left field for Hopewell… the Hopewell News mentioned how I made two nice catches… exciting stuff for a 12-year-old. Bob Feller was the guest that year at the tournament, and I still have the glove he autographed."
Great memories indeed for many fans and former players as they experience Little League baseball.
This year's Colonial Heights BIB tournament finals will be played Saturday night at 6:30 PM. A loser's bracket game may be held depending on Thursday night's 4 PM game results.
We hope you can come to see the action in person! If your schedule doesn't permit, WHAP Radio AM1340 and 96.9 FM will cover the action, as will an app like Simple Radio, which can be accessed by typing in Fox Sports Radio—Hopewell.
(Jeff Butler also broadcasts Hopewell High School's football, basketball, and baseball games and is the Pastor of Hopewell's Woodlawn Presbyterian Church.)
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