Shenandoah 8U All-Stars place 3rd at 2021 Babe Ruth World Series

Shen 8U at Chucky Cheese — Members of the 8U Shenandoah All-Stars fuel up at Chuck E. Cheese in Stuart, Fla. between games at the 2021 Babe Ruth World Series.

~ PVN staff report

TREASURE COAST, FLA., Aug. 4 — The weather turned out to be another opponent at the 2021 Babe Ruth World Series. All games were suspended on Tuesday due to lightning delays and impending rain, forcing the final games of the Series to be played under a rushed format on Wednesday.

The Shenandoah 8U All-Stars were forced to play two games in just over two hours early on Wednesday after a 60-minute time limit was placed on each matchup by the League. After winning five straight to open the tournament, Shenandoah came up short in both games on Wednesday, but still earned third place at the World Series.

In Wednesday’s opener at 9 a.m., Shenandoah jumped out to a 2-1 lead after the first inning. Following a scoreless second, Royal Palm Beach outscored Shenandoah 7-1 in the third to take an 8-3 lead. The game was called after the third inning due to the 60-minute time limit. So, the Shenandoah bats didn’t get another chance to answer back. The previous match-up with Royal Palm Beach on Sunday had been a back-and-forth thriller that ended with a narrow, 13-12, Shenandoah win in the sixth inning.

The Ron Tellefsen “Player of the Game” for Shenandoah was Berkeley Comer. The award is named after the Babe Ruth League’s late president and CEO. The League was founded in 1951 and is currently celebrating its 70th anniversary.

Had Shenandoah won that first game on Wednesday, their next game would have started at about 11:30 a.m., giving them at least 90 minutes to rest before hitting the field again. However, the loss meant Shenandoah was forced to start the next game 15 minutes after their first game ended.

So, at 10:15 a.m. the Shenandoah 8U All-Stars went back out on the field for their second game before lunch to face JRPD Eastbank, who they had defeated in another narrow win, 4-3, on Friday. Wednesday morning’s matchup saw Shenandoah jump out to a 3-1 lead in the first, before giving up nine big runs in the second. Shenandoah scored three runs in the second, but it would be their last of the game. Eastbank added four runs in the third and two more in the fourth. The game was called after four innings, with Eastbank claiming a 16-6 victory.

The Ron Tellefsen “Player of the Game” for Shenandoah was Jadeyn Blosser.

The Shenandoah 8U All-Stars made history this summer as the first team in that age division of softball to represent the Shenandoah Recreation League at the World Series. They reached the World Series after outscoring their opponents 37-2 in the state tournament they hosted in July.

Special honors were presented to five members of the Shenandoah All-Stars during the closing ceremonies of the 2021 Babe Ruth World Series, including:

• ALL DEFENSIVE TEAM

Trinity Craun and Berkeley Comer

• ALL-WORLD SERIES TEAM

Jayden Blosser, Avery Hilliard and Kinsley Housden

Each member of the Shenandoah 8U All-Stars also received a third place medallion.

Despite Wednesday’s tough losses in Florida, the Shenandoah 8U All-Stars played a fantastic World Series in all areas of the game, they made life-long memories with their family and friends, and they represented a proud and supportive hometown on a big stage in a highly respectable fashion.

Parent Josh Turner shared the following on Facebook Wednesday following the day’s two losses:

“As I set back watching the rain and trying to come up with the right words to describe this experience, the word that comes to mind is BLESSED! Blessed to be a part of such an amazing group! Yea this trip to Florida has come to an end but the JOURNEY for these young ladies is far from over!! The girls might not have walked away #1 here BUT they will always walk away #1 to me!!… I love this group of girls and appreciate everyone that has been involved in this experience!!“