Sikeston, Aurora win Babe Ruth tournaments at Cassville

From July 16 through the 19, Cassville hosted both the 9 and under Babe Ruth state championship baseball tournament and the 10 and under Babe Ruth district tournament. Chris Seymour, the coach of the Cassville 10 and under team, also served as tournament director.

"We had some weather issues, but we had very good tournaments," reported Seymour when all the games were completed.

In the 9 and under state tournament, Sikeston won the title, outlasting a field that included Aurora, Boonville, Brookfield, Mineral Area, Scott County, Semo North and Union. Sikeston defeated Mineral Area in the championship game, 7-4, and moved on to play in the Regionals at Haysville, Kan.

In the 10 and under district tournament, Aurora bested a field composed of Cassville, Marionville, Monett, Mt. Vernon and Sarcoxie. Aurora beat Marionville in the final, 7-6, and advanced to the state tournament at Sikeston.

The Cassville boys beat Mt. Vernon in first-round action, but lost to Aurora by a 19-10 score, and then dropped a game to Marionville, 17-15, and were eliminated from competition.

"We had a couple of innings with too many errors, and basically we beat ourselves," said Coach Seymour.

Both Cassville losses came at the hands of the teams that played in the title game.

Cassville will host the same tournaments next year, and Seymour plans to get an even earlier start to ensure quality events for all the teams involved.

"As long as we do a good job, we can remain the host indefinitely," said Seymour.