Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 115, No. 30	July 23, 2008

Madness headed to Michigan for regional championship

Duck! Sometimes you just have to get out of the way of a baseball hurtling toward your head.

“We really pitched well.” – Coach Robbie Ammons.

Looking to improve on their runner-up status from last year in the state tournament as 8- year-olds, the Meade County Madness traveled to Edmonson County July 20 to try to become the state champion in the western region of Kentucky. Teams from Okolona, Elizabethtown, Barren County and Germantown were also competing for the state title and a trip to Michigan for regional play.

The Madness was truly that – madness – to the other coaches and teams. Meade County buried the competition with great pitching, excellent fielding and timely hitting.

On the road to the championship game, Meade County defeated Germantown 2-1 and Okolona 16-2. The Madness finished off the competition Sunday afternoon by disposing a good Germantown team for the second time in the weekend, 16-4. Meade County didn’t even lose a game in the double elimination state tournament, exciting the coaching staff.

“We really pitched well,” Madness head coach Robbie Ammons said.

“We had three games that our pitching was outstanding and our bats woke up in the last two games, and in turn we played the best we could possibly play.”

Leading the way for the Madness was pitcher Jacob Crase. Crase had 13 strikeouts in the 2-1 win over Germantown in the first round and also pitched the win in the championship game against Germantown. Crase went 4-4 from the plate as well in the championship game, highlighted by three doubles, in which one was a towering shot that bounced over the fence for a ground rule double in the third inning.

But Crase was not the only Madness player to have a great weekend from Ammons’ point of view.

“I don’t have the books in front of me, but we had five or six kids that had outstanding weekends in the field and at the plate. I am just proud of the intensity and heart these kids showed, and I’m excited to see what happens in Michigan.”

Starting this Thursday, the Madness will play in Niles, Mich. (about 30 miles north of South Bend, Ind.) in a 15-team regional championship. The tournament will consist of pool play for the first three days and a tournament beginning Sunday.

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