Thursday March 28th, 2024
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2011 Conference USSSA North Carolina Recap

 

 

 2011 Conference USSSA

5th Annual "Carolina Shootout"

Raleigh, NC

July 30 – 31

Presented by Down2EarthSports.com

Walnut Creek Park

The "Carolina Shootout" was played in sweltering heat and humidity.   It was postponed by lightning Saturday night around 9:30 PM, and then continued on Sunday but rained out for the final games.  Shoppe/Team TPS/D2E/Elite based out of McKenzie, Tennessee is your winner as they pulled out an extra innings 20-17 win over Deluxe Bakery in the semi-finals to make it into the winner's bracket championship against Darkside/TYJA/Easton.  Darkside made it to the championship by scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th against Down2EarthSports to win 10-9 and then they beat Taylormade 27-20 on Saturday evening.

The Shoppe vs Darkside winner's final was then postponed by lightning until Sunday morning at 9 AM.  In that game, Darkside held an early lead but left the bases loaded in the 4th inning when Shoppe third baseman Lee Powers turned a doubleplay.  In the bottom of the inning Shoppe's Brad Reckart hit a grand slam to take the lead.  In the 5th, center fielder Kyle Cowart shut down Darkside with a couple of great plays and Reckart added another 3 run homer to push the lead into run rule territory where Lee Powers hit a walk off homer in the bottom of the 6th to end the game and the Championship for Shoppe.

Shoppe wins their first tournament of the year!

The tournament was then rained out with Taylormade playing Darkside in the loser's bracket championship and Darkside was awarded 2nd place and Taylormade who was beating Darkside at the time of the rain getting 3rd (I believe).  Deluxe Bakery an excellent non-conference 'B' team finished 4th.

This tournament was well played eventhough the scores were low because of the incredible heat and humidity.  The top homerun hitters like Tim Cocco and Lee Powers really showed what they were worth in the tough conditions powering their team to victory.

Darkside comes from behind against Down2EarthSports

Team breakdown:    5 – 'A',  6 – 'B',  6 – 'C',  6 – 'D',  1 – 'E'

9 from the Conference

10 different states represented!

The rain came in quick and hard around noon on Sunday

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Team 454 escapes a narrow win against Cedar Creek

Platinum sports in the field takes on Primetime on Sunday morning for 5th place

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YouTube Preview Image

Random video clips from the tournament still need to be added

 


Carolina Shootout Tournament Awards and Final Standings:

 

Player Tournament Awards
Players Name
Plays For
Tournament MVP
SHOPPE / TEAM TPS / D2E / ELITE
Offensive Tournament MVP
SHOPPE / TEAM TPS / D2E / ELITE
Defensive Tournament MVP
Darkside/TYJA/Easton
All Tournament Team
SHOPPE / TEAM TPS / D2E / ELITE
All Tournament Team
Darkside/TYJA/Easton
All Tournament Team
SHOPPE / TEAM TPS / D2E / ELITE
All Tournament Team
SHOPPE / TEAM TPS / D2E / ELITE
All Tournament Team
Darkside/TYJA/Easton
All Tournament Team
Darkside/TYJA/Easton
All Tournament Team
SHOPPE / TEAM TPS / D2E / ELITE
All Tournament Team
Deluxe Bakery
All Tournament Team
Deluxe Bakery
All Tournament Team
Darkside/TYJA/Easton
All Tournament Team
SHOPPE / TEAM TPS / D2E / ELITE
Place
State
Team
Team
Class
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
Runs
Allow
Avg
Runs
Avg
Allow
Avg
Diff
Max
Runs
1
TN
SPMensA
4
0
0
90
43
22.5
10.7
11.7
29
300
2
CT
SPMensA
3
1
0
76
75
19
18.7
0.25
27
220
3
VA
SPMensA
4
1
0
108
73
21.6
14.6
7
30
180
4
NJ
SPMensB
4
2
0
129
99
21.5
16.5
5
28
160
5
NC
SPMensB
4
2
0
132
83
22
13.8
8.16
30
140
5
MD
SPMensC
4
2
0
122
116
20.3
19.3
1
29
140
7
GA
SPMensB
2
2
0
51
54
12.7
13.5
-0.7
21
160
7
GA
SPMensB
2
2
0
56
53
14
13.2
0.75
20
160
9
MA
SPMensB
3
2
0
60
53
12
10.6
1.4
22
150
9
VA
SPMensC
2
2
0
79
72
19.7
18
1.75
35
100
9
FL
SPMensA
1
2
0
47
46
15.6
15.3
0.33
19
100
9
VA
SPMensA
1
1
0
22
28
11
14
-3
12
100
13
NC
SPMensC
2
2
0
77
77
19.2
19.2
0
25
80
13
NC
SPMensD
1
2
0
23
44
7.66
14.6
-7
17
80
13
NC
SPMensD
1
2
0
58
55
19.3
18.3
1
25
80
13
SC
SPMensB
1
1
0
32
22
16
11
5
16
140
17
NC
SPMensC
1
2
0
23
34
7.66
11.3
-3.6
11
40
17
NC
SPMensD
1
2
0
43
61
14.3
20.3
-6
20
40
17
NC
N&L Softball frozen
SPMensE
0
2
0
7
33
3.5
16.5
-13
5
40
17
NC
SPMensD
0
2
0
11
37
5.5
18.5
-13
8
40
17
VA
SPMensC
0
2
0
29
44
14.5
22
-7.5
18
40
17
NC
SPMensD
0
1
0
9
30
9
30
-21
9
40
17
VA
SPMensC
0
2
0
7
24
3.5
12
-8.5
4
40
17
VA
SPMensD
0
2
0
23
58
11.5
29
-17.
12
40
 


Team by team notes brought to you by:


1st Place Shoppe / Team TPS / D2E / Elite  GTGG 

Conf 'A' from McKenzie, TN   4-0 Record

Shoppe / Team TPS / D2E / Elite shut down Primetime 15-3 in the 3rd round and just got passed Deluxe Bakery in extra innings eventhough Shoppe was the visiting team.  In the winner's final they overcame an early deficit to beat Darkside and then the rains came.  Shoppe gets their first tournament title of the season and played with a new shortstop Ryan Plonsky who played outstanding defense including a great play in the hole and throw to first against Darkside in the winner's bracket championship.  We'll see when the stats come out, but I didn't see Plonsky make an out when I watching.  They also played without Jamie Gordon and was resting Matt King at catcher with a bad hamstring?  Reckart moved to 2nd base.

Shoppe may have found a diamond in the ruff in shortstop #4 Ryan Plonsky

Shoppe 3B Lee Powers is my pick for tournament MVP

   Shoppe #8 Brad Reckart had 7 RBI on 2 homer's in the winner's bracket championship.   Matt King #7 played catcher so they could rest his knee for the 'A' Worlds.


2nd Place Darkside/TYJA/Easton   GTGG 

Conf 'A' from New Britain, CT   3-1 Record

Darkside/TYJA/Easton gets their best finish of the season.  They came from behind with some clutch hitting to beat D2E who had led the whole way.  Then they pulled off a huge win over Taylormade 27-21 before the early lead and loss to Shoppe.  Darkside played without Neil Haglund but did have newly aquired middle infielder Ryan Fant playing.  Darkside's lack of consistent offense, a few miscues on tough grounders against Shoppe, and a bad bounce led to a big Shoppe inning in the 6th and that was all she wrote.

Darkside shortsop Lee Lipshutz has taken over the 3 spot in the lineup and was tabbed Defensive MVP of the Tournament.  Lee also had the walkoff single to beat D2E!

YouTube Preview Image

New middle infielder Ryan Fant did a nice job

Click Wegs or Helmer for Easton equipment

Darkside manager Mark Weber is still a few missing pieces away but finally broke through for a 2nd place finish

Darkside 2B Adam Belding


 

3rd Place Taylormade/TM Sports/Mizuno  
Conf 'A' from Williamsburg, VA   4-2 Record

Taylormade/TM Sports/Mizuno hammered Magic out of the gate in their first game in the heat 13-6.  It is hard to believe 13-6 could be a blowout but under those conditions with the ball being so soft, it was.  Then they beat an offensively struggling Team 454 17-10 before their loss to Darkside 27-21.  Then they came through the loser's bracket with two nice wins Sunday morning over Platinum Sports 27-14 and Deluxe Bakery 30-16 where the rules were 5 innings or one hour time limit, whichever came first.  Then the rain came and washed away Taylormades chance of scoring enough points to make the Major World Series. 

Taylormade had a new left fielder Jeremy Yates in place of regular LF Eliseo Aguilar.

Taylormades new LF Jeremy Yates

Taylormade right fielder Robert "Robo" Blackburn had the catch of the tournament when he leapt into the right field fence, pushed off and elevated and snagged a homerun from Platinum Sports on Sunday morning


Taylormade pitcher Stacy Bolton

Taylormade awaits their next game.  The tournament didn't have much flow to it.  Lots of sitting around.


 

4th Place Deluxe Bakery  GTGG 

'B' from Runnemede, NJ    4-2 Record

Deluxe Bakery rattled off three straight wins to start the tournament then dropped an extra innings game to Shoppe, recovered with an impressive win over B&B before losing the Sunday morning short 5 inning game to Taylormade.  Deluxe is from New Jersey and has some great talent and they compete every inning of every game.  I'm impressed.  I hope to see them at 'B' World.

Team Deluxe celebrates a homerun

Deluxe Bakery is a legitimate 'B' World threat and has some intense players that can spark the whole team

 


Tied 5th Place B&B/Sears/N&N  GTGG 

'B' from Clayton, NC   4-2 Record

B&B/Sears/N&N Finishing runs their seasons USSSA record to 15-2 as they collect some nice wins over Primetime and Down2EarthSports and a forfeit victory over Team 454.  B&B has a great team, top to bottom, and would be a tough out at the 'C' or 'B' worlds. 

Rank
Name
Team
G
OB-PA
R
HR
RBI
BB
OBA
1
B&B/Sears/N&N Finish
7
24-28
0
8
0
0
0.857
2
B&B/Sears/N&N Finish
7
22-27
0
8
0
0
0.815
3
B&B/Sears/N&N Finish
4
13-17
0
1
0
0
0.765
4
B&B/Sears/N&N Finish
6
16-21
0
2
0
0
0.762
5
B&B/Sears/N&N Finish
6
18-24
0
7
0
0
0.750
6
B&B/Sears/N&N Finish
7
18-27
0
5
0
0
0.667
7
B&B/Sears/N&N Finish
4
9-14
0
1
0
0
0.643
8
B&B/Sears/N&N Finish
6
13-21
0
1
0
0
0.619
9
B&B/Sears/N&N Finish
7
14-23
0
1
0
0
0.609
10
B&B/Sears/N&N Finish
6
14-23
0
1
0
0
0.609
11
B&B/Sears/N&N Finish
7
15-25
0
1
0
0
0.600
12
B&B/Sears/N&N Finish
7
13-26
0
3
0
0
0.500
  

B&B picked up former Turano pitcher Eric Byrum

 


Tied 5th Place Platinum Sports  GTGG 

 'C' from Accokeek, MD   4-2 Record

Platinum Sports runs their seasons record against 'A' and 'B' teams to 4-5 with a huge win over Suncoast early in the Carolina Shootout followed by wins over Sons of Legion and Primetime before getting knocked out on Sunday morning against Taylormade.  This team is legit and Conference USSSA material all the way with some big athletic players and bench which includes one of the most entertaining relief pitchers in the game George "Giggy?" Giggetts.

 


Tied 7th Place PrimeTime/Easton  GTGG 

Conf 'B' from Maon, GA   2-2 Record

PrimeTime/Easton played 4 top quality opponents and split with them.  They knocked off a very good B&B Sears team 15-13 when the ball was not going anywhere.  Then they rolled over for Shoppe 15-3 before run ruling Magic 21-6.  On Sunday morning they played a spirited and fun game with Platinum sports but dropped 20-12 in what could very well be the two teams that wind up in the championship of the USSSA Black American Worlds in a couple of weeks.

 

 

The Primetime pitcher was back with the church league spinner pitch

 

 


Tied 7th Place Down2EarthSports.com/Worth  GTGG 

Conf 'B' from Baxley, GA   2-2 Record

Down2EarthSports.com/Worth had a roller coaster weekend beating a good Sons of Legion team 14-2 in their opener.  Then lead Darkside 9-7 going into the bottom of the 7th on the strength of a "heat of the day" grand slam and solo homer by pitcher Chad Loudon and a solo homer by Larkin Grant.  In the bottom of the 7th Darkside scored 3 and won the game 10-9.  In the loser's bracket D2E held on 13-11 against Suncoast and then apparently didn't realize their gametime on Sunday morning and walked onto the field around 7 AM and got hammered by Deluxe Bakery 30-20. 

D2E was playing without the Scott brothers who are two of the leading hitters in the Conference but picked up Derek Jones.  D2E will finish as the highest 'B' team in the Conference as far as points as Sonny's has been bumped to 'A'.

D2E slays another dragon (Suncoast)


D2E center fielder Larkin Grant

D2E middle infielder Shaun Bridger

D2E picked up Derek "Twinkie" Jones


 

The rest of the Conference Teams:

Tied for 9th – Magic/National Gold/S&S/TYJA Sports beat a local team in the first round then only mustered 6 runs against Taylormade in a bad loss 13-6.  Then after beating 2 more locals they dropped by the run rule to Primetime 21-6.   Magic didn't show much offense in the heat which doesn't bode well for them in Florida.

Tied for 9th – Suncoast Reebok was soundly beaten by a very good Platinum Sports team in their opener 29-17.  Then they beat a local team and won the game against Gas It when a Gas It player was ejected with no replacements.  In their Saturday afternoon showdown with Down2EarthSports they came up short with the bats in their hands and the winning run at the plate, 13-11.


Tied for 9th – Team 454 Emerald/Worth came from behind to beat Cedar Creek 12-11 in their opener then lost a 17-10 game to Taylormade when the ball wasn't flying anywhere in the 100 plus degree heat.  In their final game, 454 had B&B/Sears almost run ruled around 9 PM Saturday night when a lightning storm halted play and Team 454 made the decision to go home and forfeited the continuation of the game on Sunday morning.

Tied for 13th – Gas It/Easton/Lewis Lawn Care lost a close 17-16 game against a good Deluxe Bakery team then in the loser's bracket battled Suncoast before one of their players got thrown out of the game and they didn't have a replacement and forfeited. 


 

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More Pictures Below  


A big thanks to my sponsor's – USSSA, Down2EarthSports.com, GameTimeSupply.com, MojoSportsGear.com, TPS, Easton, DSSBats.com, and BPAthletics

I will be in Sterling Hts, Michigan this weekend for the "Last Chance" Major 

2011 North Carolina Major pictures link

Link to the  Bracket/Stats for the North Carolina Major

Link to the tournament in Michigan when ready

Link to the USSSA Point Standings and Stats


Here are some other pics from the North Carolina Major:

 

Insert your own caption here…

And here…

 

I was broadcasting from the air conditioned score tower


One of the tournament directors Andy Richards was doing it all, from umpiring to chasing homerun balls

Shade was at a premium in the 100+ degree heat

Thats a cool arm thingy!

 

As always send question, corrections, comments, suggestions, and criticism's to

DW@softballcenter.com


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