by www.baseballeurope.com
More than 130 Enthusiastic Baseball Kids in North Germany’s Greatest Children’s Baseball Tournament
Unbelievable what run the sports complex in Lütjensee had to cope with for the 4th Little Lakers Baseball Cup on 12th February, 2011.
Exactly 132 children aged four to twelve from Hamburg, Niedersachsen and Schleswig-Holstein found the way to North Germany’s biggest Children’s Baseball Tournament – to the Little Lakers in Lütjensee.
So last year’s high number of participants of the 3rd Little Lakers baseball cup easily could be topped this time. For the first time even two teams from Niedersachsen arrived to fight for the championship in the two categories.
Also the game of the coaches, of great success in 2010, was repeated this year – very much to the big enthusiasm and great fun of the kids. They not only could watch their coaches play, they also cried out loudly their comments “out” and “safe” in the role of umpires.
After Heiko Roettinger, the chairman of the committee for Sport, Culture and Environment, had executed the traditional First Pitch, the symbolic start of the tournament, 12 teams competed in all together 26 games in the two categories T-Ball and Soft Toss for scores and runs.
Five clubs, the Holm Westend 69’ers, HSV Stealers, Großhansdorf Skunks, Kiel Seahawks (which even started with three teams), and the team of the Lütjensee Little Lakers competed in T-Ball, which was dominated in the beginning by the Seahawks from Kiel; they even beat the home team 8:4.
But the Little Lakers came back. After a 14:1 in the first game against the HSV Stealers and the above mentioned defeat, they achieved an impressive victory against the Skunks from Großhansdorf by 15:4.
The Seahawks I from Kiel marched with four victories into the final; so the little ball players from Lütjensee had to beat the second team from Kiel, the Seahawks II, which likewise reached the final without being beaten. And they succeeded in an outstanding manner: 1 7: 2 – the highest result of the day could be noted.
The start in category Soft Toss was not very lucky for the Little Lakers. Right in their first game against the strong Lüneburg Woodlarks they couldn’t keep their lead of 5:0; in a dramatic finish they finally lost 5:6. A decisive game against the favorites, the Wild Farmers from Dohren had to follow to reach the final. The little Wild Farmers not only could win against the Bergedorf Marines and the Großhansdorf Skunks; they also defeated the die Lüneburg Woodlarks in an exciting game 4:2
Only a clear victory could help to reach the final, which was achieved by the home team with an impressive 11:1. As in the last game of the preliminary round the Bergedorf Marines were beaten by the Lüneburg Woodlarks, the Little Lakers now met (equal to the T-Ball games) with the two opponents, by whom they were beaten before.
After a long, strenuous but also wonderful baseball day the big final now had to bring forth the champions of the tournament in the two categories.
The three coaches of the Lütjensee Little Lakers happily were supported by parents in coaching the two teams. Both games started with a drumbeat: on each part of the hall the Little Lakers batted a homerun and took the lead.
Not only the kids but also their parents and the fans of the Lütjensee Lakers, who before had studied carefully the tables of results, burst out great joy and jubilation.
Quite possible that these two homeruns were the decisive moments – for, both in Soft Toss against the Lüneburg Woodlarks with 10:1, and in T-Ball with 7:3 against the Seahawks from Kiel, the Lütjensee Little Lakers achieved revenge for the defeats in the preliminary round and the championship of the tournament in both categories.
The presentation ceremony ended an excellent, well organized tournament. Each baseball kid received a medal and a baseball of foamed material. Added to this there was a huge tin of sweets for each team. „We feared the medals could run out because of the many participants, but it turned out, we just had sufficient”, Karen Harder who together with her husband Michael coaches the Lakers, said with a great relief.
All spectators, coaches and kids agreed: this was a special tournament. “It was exceptional, as last times”, a coach commended, “but that the Little Lakers won again the tournament in both categories – this is unbelievable”.
Could it be that the Lütjensee Little Lakers are bad home teams? No, for the most important, as in every year, was the fun that this fascinating sport brings to all who are involved and the exciting event all tams shared. Therefore we dare to ask: Is there in Germany, or even in Europe, a comparable indoor-tournament with so many enthusiastic baseball kids?
So last but not least we wish all participants and especially all kids a fantastic new baseball season, which was opened up by the 4th Little Lakers Baseball Cup 2011.
There will follow some more tournaments e.g. the 1st Seahawks T-Ball Cup in April and the 19th Westend 69’ers Baseball Series in June. Other chances for the kids to bat, run, catch and pitch like mad.
In the meantime the teams from Lütjensee prepare themselves to play in the league for the first time. But they also look very much forward to spring 2012 and the 5th Little Lakers Baseball Cup when you will hear again: „PLAY BALL“!
