Senior Leaguers stopped at regionals

The 500-mile trip back from Viera, Fla. was going to be a long one.

But the trip felt much longer for the Madison County Senior League all-stars, knowing that they were excruciatingly close to playing another day.

“It’s not been a good ride so far,” manager Bryan Wilkes said Monday in a telephone interview while en route back to Georgia.

The team’s 1-2 record in pool play in Viera eliminated them from the Southern Regionals. The two losses game by just three runs.

The Madison County Senior League all-stars — representing Georgia — lost 6-5 to Tennessee Friday in seven innings to open pool play, but rebounded with a 13-1 win over West Virginia Saturday. However, the team fell to Florida, 8-6, on the final day of pool play.

A win (and a 2-1 record) would have sent Madison County to Monday’s regional semifinals out of Pool A. Instead, that honor went to Florida and Tennessee.

The top two teams from each pool advanced to the regional semifinals.

“It’s aggravating,” Wilkes said of coming so close. “But it’s also rewarding to know that you were there, being able to put up a fight and you didn’t give up. They boys played their hearts. It’s a real tough one to swallow when you only lose two games by three.”

For the rest of the story, see the Aug. 7 edition of The Madison County Journal.