The 12u Owensboro Eastern All-Stars made it seven straight wins in the Cal Ripken World Series, defeating West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens en route to earning the title of Cal Ripken World Series Champions.
Semifinal:
A dominant performance on the bump from Ross Milburn and an offensive outburst late pushed Owensboro to an 8-0 win against West Palm Beach.
Milburn set the tone right from the jump on the mound and it carried throughout six innings, in which he allowed three hits while striking out 12.
It was a six-run sixth inning that helped Owensboro Eastern secure the win, as Jayden James, Gunnar Hendricks, Dremail Carothers and Milburn all recorded RBIs in the inning.
One of those runs came via the long ball, with Milburn giving himself some run support. Ty Lillpop also had a dominant day offensively, going 2-3 at the plate.
This ample amount of offense and dominant pitching paired with a perfect game defensively, gave Owensboro an 8-0 victory and punched its ticket to the championship game.
Championship:
Owensboro used a little deja vu in the championship game, giving a solid performance offensively in the sixth one again to push them to a 7-3 win in the Cal Ripken World Series against Palm Beach Garden.
James got the starting nod on the mound, holding Palm Beach to just three hits and one run through four innings.
The team’s pitching has been a strongpoint throughout the season and Head Coach Otis Sowders said that when you have a strong defense behind them it makes the job on the bump a lot easier.
“Every pitcher that has pitched in state, regionals, and the World Series they just dialed in and did a job,” Sowders said. “They threw strikes, each one knew they had a heck of a defense to back them up regardless of what pitch they were to have thrown. Typically the relief pitchers that we bring in, tend to finish out the games and it has allowed us to save our ace when needed.”
Eastern’s bullpen was able to hold things down for the remainder of the game, as the offense provided plenty of run support.
Alex Hood, Lillpop and James all drove in runs during the five-run sixth inning, giving them a 7-3 victory in the Cal Ripken World Series Championship.
Time and time again Owensboro has managed to come through with big innings and Sowders said it’s a never stop fighting mentality that leads to these offensive outbursts.
“Usually between the first inning and 3rd inning our bats are warming up,” Sowders said. “By inning 4, our bats start coming around. They never give up and always stay focused. Our defense however has pretty much been on point. Between State, Regionals, and the Cal Ripken World Series I can count the errors our defense has made on one hand. Because of our strong defense, it has allowed us time for our bats to get going.”
James had a strong day on the mound and the plate, also supplying a run in the third inning with a home run.
Lillpop had another strong game as well, going 3-4 at the plate to help lead Eastern to the monumental victory.
This performance by Lillpop also helped him secure the Tournament MVP, with teammate Gunnar Hendricks making the All-Tournament Defensive Team.
The big win also came against a familiar face in Brad Wilkerson, who was born and raised in Owensboro, Kentucky.
Wilkerson played baseball at Apollo High school and went on to play major league baseball for eight years, before now focusing on coaching his son as he grows up through the game.
The realization that the Owensboro Eastern All-Stars are Cal Ripken World Series Champions hasn’t completely set in for Sowders, but he said that it’s been an amazing ride and while he always knew this team was something else, today he realized just how special they are.
“The season and the team really mean a lot to me,” Sowders said. “It isn’t just a team, this team has become family. This team has accomplished so much that several others have yet to be able to do in Owensboro Kentucky.”
On top of praising his players and saying that he’ll always cherish seeing the team hoist that trophy following the big win, Sowders wants to thank the community for their outpouring of support during this incredible run of baseball.
“I just want to thank all of our sponsors, way too many to name off the top of my head but we appreciate the support from our community,” Sowders said. “Each donation or sponsor helped us be able to attend the Cal Ripken World Series. Without them all, none of this would have even been possible.”
Listed below is the roster of champions:
Dremail Carothers #9
Ty Lillpop #6
Peyton Isbell #3
Khilan Hamilton #27
Logan Trone #28
Gunnar Hendricks #22
Jayden James #11
Ross Milburn #24
Alex Hood#12
Kaydon Vineyard #73
Hunter Webb #30
Christian Fulks #5
Zayden Baker #1
Lane Hundley #8
Ladainian November #34
