WARNING!!! there are tons of pictures in this post and i will be bragging about my kid and his team.
if those 2 things don't offend you, please proceed!
after roman's team won the district championship, it was time to head to the state tournament. this year, it was held in hartsville, sc. we stayed in nearby florence, sc.
lucky for us, the opening ceremonies were held inside an air conditioned gym at coker college. whew!
gianna and charlie enjoyed sitting up high and watching the boys down below.
here are our boys entering the gym during the parade of teams.
the hilton head ozone team was also there representing our district, so the boys made sure to high five them as they were introduced.
we kept telling the boys how proud we were that they made it this far and how big a deal it is to go to the state tournament, so this sign was a nice reminder when we got there!
this was toby's reaction when our friend christy asked him if he was excited...😂
i love how roman communicates with his team...2 down, guys!
the boys didn't make it easy on us, they went into extra innings that first game, but pulled out the win against sumter, 4-3.
time to have some fun at the pool.
on sunday, we were scheduled to play at 5p, but we had some bad weather that day, so when the boys got ready, we found out our games were delayed, so they came into our room to play a little playstation.
then, they headed to a local batting cage to loosen up. in the end, they didn't get to play on sunday at all.
but, come monday, we were scheduled to play at 3p and 9p to make up for the day before.
these boys!😆
we played hard and kept up with union for the whole game until they finally hit a grand slam HR and we lost. the boys kept their heads high and we went to grab some food and wait for our 9pm game.
someone was happy to get a state tournament t-shirt and a sno-cone.
while we waited, we cheered on the hilton head boys.
i took pictures of the night game, but for some silly reason, hit the wrong button and deleted them all. this is all i have from that game. we played summerville parks and won, 14-8.
the next day, tuesday, we were matched up with union again. since they had beaten us the day before, we didn't know what to expect, other than we knew our boys were capable of winning. they had hung with them the day before and we knew they could do it.
gianna was just happy to have some girls to hang with...
this guy wasn't nervous at all...cool as a cucumber😁
to start the game off, roman hit a home run over the fence! to say we were excited would be a complete understatement. we were over the moon happy for him. he has been working so hard all season and to see this happen for him in the state tournament was a dream come true. proud doesn't truly describe how we felt in this moment.
and then this happened. we were tied up 5-5. roman hits a single. then, jackson gets up to bat and they walk him. so, roman's on second, and jackson's on first. miles steps up and has a fire in him to get back at the team that hit a grand slam off his pitching the day before. so, he slams it out to center field and the center fielder reaches up to catch it, but it tips off his glove and bounces outside the fence for a walk-off 3 run homer! we win!!! i mean, it was just so incredible to watch.
these little sisters were so proud of their brothers for hitting home runs, they were on the field to celebrate!
after the game, they presented roman with his home run ball. so amazing!
and here are the HR boys! i joked that they made a HR sandwich out of that game...one to start it off and one to finish it. i'm so incredibly proud of them. this was the first over the fence HR for each of them, and i promise you, they will never forget it!
the next night, wednesday, we were on the field again, at 7:30 (due to a 2 hour rain delay) to play midland.
it was incredibly hot and the sun was in our eyes until this happened. that huge cloud was good for something...
the boys played well, and kept the score close again (they like giving us heart palpitations, i think).
isn't she the cutest baseball sister you've ever seen?
the game was tied 2-2, until we finally got a run in on a passed ball. seriously, base running was our saving grace during this tournament!
so, now we are up 3-2 and all we have to do is hold them. we've got 2 outs and the tying runner on first. their batter steps up and hits a fly ball to right field...we are holding our breath and then colton saves the day! the entire outfield was mud, but he makes a catch while he is falling back, does a backwards roll and comes up with the ball. you cannot make this stuff up!
we are headed to the championship game!!!
10am game on thursday and we are ready to do this. we are up against hartsville northern and we have to beat them twice to win.
in the end, we ran out of gas and did not win, but dang...did they do amazing or what?
2nd in the state? oh yes, we will take that!
i'm so incredibly grateful to have been a part of this experience, with these boys, with these families. it was such an honor to watch them play their hearts out. they took us further than we could have ever imagined and made their parents, families, friends and community incredibly proud of them.
that sure is a BIG trophy!!
roman would not be the ball player that he is today with this guy right here. he spends HOURS upon HOURS with him, practicing, guiding, and encouraging him. thanks, coach poppa!🏆
and little sister is super proud of you too!
that's a wrap...until next year!😊
