Despite a rocky start, Beaufort Riptide 11U AAA won five straight games to claim the USSSA 2014 Gameday Sports Global World Series Championship in Myrtle Beach, SC, July 9-13.
Coming out of the pool play with a 1-3 record, Riptide lost their first championship bracket game to the number one seed, Kent Island Bucks from Maryland, putting them in a must-win or go-home situation.
With numerous rain delays on Saturday night, Riptide went into the losers bracket at 11:30 p.m. They were facing old rivals and friends out of Augusta, Ga., called the Havoc. Havoc was the first team Riptide faced when they started playing travel ball four years ago. Riptide went to work: At 1 a.m., they earned a 4-1 victory.
Eight hours later, Riptide was warming up for their next game against the Carolina Prospects from Columbia, SC. Riptide won 4-3. After a 10 minute break, they took on the Prolific Power from North Carolina, winning that game 7-3.
The Black Sox from Columbia, SC, were next in line, falling 7-3 to Riptide also.
Now Riptide had to face the team that put them in the losers bracket, the Kent Island Bucks, for the championship game.
The Riptide and the Bucks were tied 1-1 in the first inning. The Bucks took the lead at the end of the second inning. Riptide came back in the third to tie the Bucks and then took the lead at the end of the fourth by scoring 3 more runs. Riptide scored an additional run in the top of the fifth to give them a 4-run advantage. The Bucks cut the Riptide lead by two in the bottom of the fifth. The score was now 6-4.
Riptide did not score in the top of the sixth and held the Bucks from scoring in the bottom of the sixth by striking out the first two batters and catching a fly ball in center field, giving Riptide a 6-4 victory and claiming the championship.
The Riptide coaches, players and parents would like to thank the following businesses and sponsors who helped raise the funds necessary to attend the tournament: Lady’s Island Food Lion, Lady’s Island Walgreens, Shell Point Bi-Lo, Easy Rentals, and the numerous friends, family and community members who donated to the team. Without the support of this community, the team would not have been able to accomplish their goals at the USSSA Global World Series.
