Sonoraville 8U All-Stars win State
Phoenix beat Rockmart to claim GRPA championship
The Sonoraville 8-under Phoenix AllStars have been together al-most two months since the end of the regular season at the Gordon County Parks and Rec, and they have worked hard since starting the All-Star season to reach their potential. That work paid off on Friday night as they can now call themselves state champions.
The Phoenix defeated Rockmart 6-4 in the finals of the Georgia Rec-reation and Parks Association Class A/B State Baseball Tournament on Friday night at the Calhoun Rec to claim their state title, completing an undefeated run through the bracket. Sonoraville rallied for the victo-ry as they trailed 3-0 going to the bottom of the fifth before exploding for six runs in the frame and then holding Rockmart to just one in the sixth to finish things off.
“These kids have worked a lot of hot days, practiced three or four times a week for two hours at a time, and they have come a long way,” said Phoenix head coach John Sampson. “We lost a heartbreaker in district, and the kids told me the next practice that they were going to come back and win the next tournament, which was State.
“This is a great group of boys, and I couldn’t have done it without my great assistant coaches too. I’m thankful for the parents as well. They never complained about getting their kids to practice and games. We won this as a team and a family. Everyone played a part in it – players, coaches and parents.”
The state tournament run began on Tuesday (July 11) with the Phoenix defeating the Clayton County Tigers 13-11. They followed that with a 13-12 victory over Gainesville and reached the finals with a 12-8 win over Bartow County on Thursday night before the comeback win over Rockmart on Friday.
Sampson said the defense kept his team in the game on Friday until the offense could get going.