Sports - May 2003

Vale AAU baseball team wins Concord tournament

Published May 28, 2003

The Carolina Warriors 15-and-under AAU baseball team from Vale won the ACC Challenge Tournament in Concord on May 18.

The tournament consisted of the following teams: N.C. Cardinals of Kernersville, Richmond Rockies of Rockingham, Carolina Mariners of Kannapolis, Carolina Titans of Kinston, Carolina Wildcats of Indian Trail and the Triad Thunder of Greensboro.

A 4-1 win over the Richmond Rockies advanced the Warriors into the semifinal game.

In the championship game, the Warriors fell behind 6-0 to the Carolina Mariners from Kannapolis in the first two innings. However, the Warriors rallied for seven runs in the third inning and went on to win the championship 9-8.

The team was awarded a first place plaque, and each player received gold medals at the awards ceremony after the game.

Head coach John Thomas was proud of his team’s performance.

“The boys never gave up and the whole team worked together. Each of the players made big contributions at the right times,” he said.

Solid pitching and defense played a big role in the Warriors’ success.

“Once our bats came to life, I knew we had a real chance to win,” Thomas said.

 Assistant coach Rick Reynolds was also proud of the kids.

“Each of the players played his heart out and it paid off,” he said.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

Terms and Conditions