U12 BEREA BRAVES

CVBA Tournament Runner-ups

2008 U12 Berea Travel Baseball Team

SEASON RECAP

The Berea Braves jumped out to a 3-0 start in the regular season and were riding high. The Braves didn't weather their first loss all that well though as the Garfield Hts Bulldogs (21-2) hammered the Braves 12-2 on a cold, chilly, soggy Spring night and the Berea faithful saw them drop 4 of six ball games between May 7th & May 22nd. Sitting on a marginal record of 5-4, it was gut-check time for the young team as they reached a low while sitting in Westlakes visiting dugout after suffering their second loss in a row and 4th loss of the season. The Braves were up for the task of reclaiming their season back - as they clawed, scratched, and dominated at times, winning 9 of 10 down the stretch (only loss to those same Bulldogs) and outscored the competition 100-50 to finish with a very respectable 14-5 Regular Season record. On July 4th, the Braves headed to Cooperstown before that last regular season game was played, where they ran into some stout National teams and were beaten badly in 6 of the nine games. The Players & coaches lodging together for a week, bonded, and really enjoyed themselves despite not playing well. They brought that bond home and made one last run at the CVBA Tournament, slicing their way to the League Championship before falling short to the Bulldogs once again. The Braves took home runner-up trophies, and can reflect back on the season with pride knowing that they over-came several obstacles and banded together to achieve realistic goals. The memories of Cooperstown, the 9-1 regular season record down the stretch (11-1 through the semi-finals), and earning themselves the right to play in the last game of the season will be cherished forever.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

BRAVES, AND A GREAT SEASON !!!