First Row (kneeling): Lucas Harris, Dylan Fogle, Mack Yancey, William Wexler and Brandon Manaska
Second Row: Brandon Corn, Jameson Holcomb, Cale Vinson, Tanner Mabry , Adam Jamison, Kaden Morgan
Back Row: Ben Corn, Jim Jamison, Kelly Holcomb and Brian Fogle

The Murfreesboro Titans pulled out a string of clutch plays to win the BPA World Series Sunday, July 24 at Barfield Crescent Park.

In the Coach Pitch 7U finals, the Titans and the Tennessee Bulldogs were tied at 16 in the final inning.

The Titans had two runners on base, and a chance to break the game wide open.

The next Titans batter sent a pop fly that landed behind second base and in between four Bulldogs players. The tie was broken when two runners scored. By the end of the at-bat, the Titans added one more run to take a 19-16 lead. However, to win the title they had to get three more outs.

After a few spectacular plays, they got the outs and the title was theirs. The second one came by a wonderful diving catch by third baseman Adam Jamison. It was his second great catch during the game.

“I knew I had them caught,” he said after the game.

Titans head coach Ben Corn said this was the first time the Titans have defeated the Bulldogs during a tournament this season.

In the BPA World Series, the Titans beat the Bulldogs three times, once during pool play and twice during the double-elimination tournament.

After the game, Corn got a well-deserved water bath from his players; it felt especially good on a very hot July day, he said.

“It probably was the best water bath I’ve ever had in my life. My coaches dedicate their life and energy to this team, and I’m very proud of them,” Corn said, adding one assistant coach is former Blue Raider and Cleveland Brown Kelly Holcomb.

In the same age division, the Marshall County Fury was winless in pool play. Once the tournament started, the Fury used its own late-game rally to pull out a 15-12 win after scoring three times in the final inning during a loser’s bracket game.

Head coach John Dippold, whose teams colors are orange and blue after his favorite team, the Florida Gators, was happy with the team’s performance in the win. During the post-game talk with his team, he was almost brought to tears when praising his Fury.

“I’m extremely pleased with their performance,” Dippold said. “They came in ready to play. The whole team gave everything they had.”

However, the Fury’s run ended with an 11-7 loss to the Bulldogs in next game.

In the 10U division, the Middle Tennessee Rockets had a player to get to see his favorite major league pitcher pitch earlier in the week.

Jaden Lasley, who wears No. 14 after Tampa Bay Rays pitcher and Murfreesboro native David Price, got to watch him pitch against the Yankees in Tampa last week. After the game, Lasley got a chance to meet Price.

“He was a super nice guy,” Lasley said. “It was amazing to see him and meet him.”

Lasley likes Price because he is a good pitcher and both of them are southpaws.

The Rockets fell 5-2 to the ThunderSixx in the loser’s bracket and their run ended.

In the 13U division, Rockvale used the tournament as a chance for its players to develop chemistry for next year’s middle school season.

Center fielder Peyton Henderson had one of the fielding highlights of the tournament, when he made a diving catch to save several runs in the team’s 9-5 win over the Outlaws in the loser’s bracket.

“I was scared I was going to miss it and they were going to get a double,” Henderson said after the win.

“I tell him to go full out on every ball, and if you miss, you miss it,” coach Jason Donoahoe added.

Rockvale won one more game, but lost 20-3 to the Crusaders in the loser’s bracket.

Teams from all over the north and south participated in the BPA World Series. One of those teams, the 12U Evansville Diamonds made the three-hour trip from Indiana.

One of the Diamonds starting pitchers Luke Johnston was happy to advance to the BPA World Series.

“We worked so hard this year to get to this point,” he said.

Both Johnston and the team’s head coach Chris Chitwood said his team has really enjoyed their first trip to the ‘Boro. They took the chance to eat at local staple like Toot’s and visit the city.

“The trip has been very good,” Chitwood said. “It’s a nice city.”

If you are wondering, yes he has a son named Jimmy, which of course he named after the legendary character in the famous sports movie “Hoosiers.”

Chitwood felt the team has used this trip as a chance to come together as a team.

“They really have gelled this week. They all are best friends and they hang out together after the games,” he said.

In which, that is what baseball is about bringing people together. People from all over the nation took this chance, last weekend, to try to take home the BPA trophy and get fitted for a championship ring just like their heroes.