Recordpub.com - The dream continues for trio

Staff report

The regular season begins early in the summer with hundreds of teams lacing up their shoes, tightening their batting gloves and never losing sight of their baseball gloves.

By the time the first weekend of August arrives, the hundreds of teams have been sifted down to just a handful.

And for three fortunate Portage County star-laden teams, the quest for the dream ending — a state championship — remains a possibility.

Those teams will be the G League Crestwood Cardinals, the F League Ravenna Braves and the E League Garfield Mets.

The trio will matchup with opponents today at Alliance’s Butler Rodman Park for state semifinal games.

The schedule for the trio is as follows:

• Crestwood Cardinals vs. Christopher Columbus at 11:30 a.m. on Butler Rodman field No. 3.

• Ravenna Braves vs. Massillon Transmission at 11 a.m. on Butler Rodman field No. 2.

• Garfield Mets vs. Lorain Saints at 3 p.m. at Butler Rodman field No. 1.

Winners of today’s action will advance to Sunday’s state championship games, which would also be played at Butler Rodman Park.

The Cardinals, Braves and Mets have etched their own memories and stories, but will share the weekend in Alliance today.

For the Braves, the team has been quite dominant, outscoring their opponents 54-10 at both the district and regional level combined.

The Braves defeated Pizza Hood, 12-3, for the regional championship.

For the Cardinals, their regional title victory came in a 5-2 defeat of the Maplewood Giants.

Pitching and defense has highlighted the Cardinals’ run through the tournament, with the team not allowing any team to score more than four runs against them.

Trust that the Cardinals’ offense has been potent as well to perfectly complement the defense and pitching.

All three teams have enjoyed an exciting ride, but it may be the Garfield Mets that have had the most excruciating celebrations.

Especially considering the fact that the team was nearly ousted in their first tournament game, which eventually turned into an 11-8 victory over Middlefield Hauser.

Following that win, the Mets blasted to a pair of double-digit wins, but then had to hold on tight — very tight — during their regional final win.

The big bats from Garrettsville built a comfortable lead over Tuslaw in the regional title game, but then the luckless part of baseball overcame them.

The hits that ringed off the Mets’ bats just so happen to be hit directly at defenders. Furthermore, the team’s usually solid defense, faltered slightly and allowed Tuslaw to narrow the deficit rather quickly.

However, the Mets prevailed for a 15-10 victory, and along with the Braves and Cardinals, will play today for a chance at the biggest prize out there.