TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

City All-Stars Compete In Lakeland

ADVERTISEMENT

By DAREK SHARP

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 28, 2008

PLANT CITY - What they hope will be a long summer of baseball is under way for Plant City's 9- to 10-year-old All-Stars.

Plant City is one of several Little Leagues with teams in the District 4 tournament, which started Friday.
Lakeland City Little League is hosting the tourney. The championship game is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, with a rematch game if necessary to be played July 5. No games will be played on the Fourth of July regardless of how the tournament is progressing.

Because of the league's size, Plant City is forced to split into two teams, the American and National squads. Both were scheduled for first-round games on Friday. Similarly there are two North Lakeland Little League squads, two more from Lakeland City called Orange and Tangerine, along with individual all-star clubs from Auburndale, Haines City and Lake Wales.

If Plant City National beats North Lakeland National on Friday, it will play today at 10 a.m. against Lakeland City Orange. The Plant City American team would also advance if it beats Haines City on Friday. The winner takes on the North Lakeland American-Lakeland City Tangerine winner today at 3:30 p.m.

The event is double elimination, but avoiding that first defeat is key. An early loss, although not ending a team's season, puts it in the losers bracket, meaning there likely will be at least three extra games just to reach the final.

Meanwhile a team that wins its first three gets to await the losers bracket survivor - and then has two chances to beat that team if necessary.

Plant City's teams are in the opposite side of the bracket, so they might meet in the semifinals. Other than that, it would be a losers bracket scenario for one or both of the teams.

The district champion will move along to the regional tournament, and that champion will compete with seven other Florda teams for the state title.

Unlike the older age groups, the 9- to 10-year-olds will see their tournament end at the state level. Others can advance to a national title.

The site of the games is Peterson Park, 3700 Cleveland Heights Blvd.

Since weather can often disrupt these events, Lakeland City Little League will post cancellation updates on its Web site, www.lakelandcity baseball.com.

Reporter Darek Sharp can be reached at dsharp@tampa

trib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT