Wednesday afternoon was the last Roughrider practice of the season... batting practice at our house! As always, Peyton was ready for the exciting event! Every baseball practice is a super exciting event for Peyton.... a yard full of people to play catch with and swing the bat with... his dream come true!!
These nine Texas Roughriders will compete in the USSSA World Series at Big League Dreams in League City, Texas this weekend and we wish them the best of luck! These guys have worked hard, played hard, and learned so much about baseball this season! They have won 3 championships and accomplished so much as a team. They are a true team that sticks together through victory or defeat. They are pretty amazing for a group of nine year old boys!!
After the guys left for the day, Ryan hit the cage to throw a few strikes! Peyton took a seat in a nearby ball bucket and was happy with his front row seat!
Silly baseball-loving baby!!
A break from practice on Thursday and then the boys were together again on Friday at Big League Dreams. Before they hit the field, the team had time to hit the arcade for a little pre-game fun!
The first game was played at Fenway Park. All of the fields at Big League Dreams are replicas of Major League baseball stadiums! It was pretty cool to see the Roughriders step out of the major league inspired dugout onto the field and play the game that they love!!
A hit, and run scored!
Playing right field
Another good hit, another stolen base!!
The only thing that Peyton likes more than playing baseball is watching it!! He enjoys watching every pitch, every catch, every hit, and every stolen base of every ballgame!!
Uncle Billy stopped by to watch the game with his buddy Peyton!
The 11:30 am game was a 15-6 victory for the Texas Roughriders over Team Airline. The 1:15 game against Team Citius USA at Yankee Stadium was a less successful venture for the Roughriders as they lost the hard-fought battle 6-3. Ryan started the game in right field, played a little second base...
...and then caught in the final innings of the game.
The game became a race against the hour and a half time limit. Ryan and the Roughriders played ball until the very last minute... the worst sound was the echo of the umpire's voice calling "BALLGAME!" We all felt that if our boys could have one more at bat it could be a whole new ballgame!!
Peyton was absolutely exhausted after the double header!
After the long, hot day of baseball, the team parents thought the boys deserved a fun night out! We enjoyed a yummy dinner at Spring Creek Barbeque and then headed to Main Event for a game of laser tag!
Wilson and Peyton were not tall enough to play laser tag, so they enjoyed as many games as they could while we were "on the hunt"... by the looks of it, they had as much fun as we did!!
Before calling it a night, we played a few arcade games together while Daddy visited with a couple of his college buddies who live in the League City area.
Here we are with Daddy and his college roommates, and fellow Lamar Cardinal baseball Players, Billy Stokley (pitcher) and Lee Fincher (catcher)!! We had fun talking baseball with them and playing with Lee's son, Little Lee (Freddie Lee Fincher IV)!
We turned in earlier than we would have liked, but we wanted to be ready for another day of baseball that was scheduled to start with a 7:15 warm-up for the 8am game against Team Citius at the Fenway Park field. The Roughriders started the day with confidence and an early lead, but unfortunately lost their steam and lost the game 11-7. Looking back, the boys really should have won one or even both of the games against Team Citius. In both games, there were a couple of small errors and a lack of big hits in tight situations that kept them from ending the games on top.
The final opportunity for the Roughriders to win and continue playing in the tournament was scheduled for 1:15 at Crosley Field against the Texas Rebels. Ryan started the game at second base and made a nice play to wrap up the first inning!
He later played in left field and made a great catch and return!
Despite some great hits and good defensive work by the boys, the Roughriders scored only 3 runs against the Rebels who scored 8. A very disappointing tournament to end the 2012 season, but definitely not a disappointing season for the team. The Texas Roughriders are a true hometown team.... arriving at this season-ending tournament with a nine-player roster... playing at the end of the season with the same players who began the season... facing teams with rosters ranging from 14 to 29 players who may or may not have played the entire season together... guest players from higher divisions... pitchers being called in to pitch only one game... all in an effort to win a 9AA tournament. I was proud to support the Texas Roughriders who truly competed in every game that they played this season... a team who never gave up when the game got tough... a team made up of players who are versatile and play a variety of positions... a team who has learned the game together, who will grow together as players and friends, and who will play the game together for years to come!
The final team huddle of the season... all in for the Texas Roughriders!!
Peyton is proud to be a member of the Texas Roughrider family!!
2012 9U Texas Roughriders. Ridin' Rough, Ridin' Tough! Go Riders!!
We ended the evening as we did the night before, at Main Event! Tonight we hit all of the hot spots in the entertainment complex, beginning with Glow Golf!
Ava and I were happy to be playing with our Roughrider big brothers!!
I celebrated a hole-in-one!
Next putt, a hole-in-one by Peyton! With his hit-and-run technique and baseball-like swing, I sure didn't see that coming!!
I thought the astronaut was pretty cool!
Next stop, the bowling alley!
I haven't bowled in a while, but I got pretty excited about having the high score!
We ended the night with a game of laser tag!! A great end to a great baseball season!! Proud of those Roughrider boys and can't wait to see them play in 2013!!
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