05.26.08
Las Vegas, NV

The field was as strong as any tournament all year and the Mud Hens took 3rd out of 24. Teams from Washington, Utah, California, Hawaii, Arizona and Nevada comprised the field of 24. The Mud Hens opened pool play against the host team at 8am Saturday and dropped a close contest 5-3. The 2nd game was against one of the tough Hawaiian teams and the Mud Hens came out on top of this contest 7-4. Sunday saw the Mud Hens open against one of the top teams from Utah (Bingham Dodgers) and backed with the impressive pitching beat the Dodgers 7-0. In the final game of the day the Mud Hens hitting came alive and destroyed The Hitting Zone from California 23-7.

As Championship play began on Monday the field had shrunk to the top 8 teams. The Mud Hens opened against a very strong Nevada Sluggers Club. In perhaps the most impressive performance in the last month the Mud hens bested the Sluggers by run ruling them 11-1 in four innings. "That is the kind of baseball our boys are capable of playing. We didn't walk a batter, pitched ahead in the count, made the routine plays and were very disciplined at the plate", says Ted Schuman Manager. However, just as soon as it appeared the Mud Hens were heading towards another Championship . . . everything turned the other way in the Semi's against the LVBA Lightning. "That game reminded us that you have to continue to work hard and take nothing for granted because for all the was great in our game against the Sluggers we couldn't do anything correct against the Lightning" says Schuman. The Mud Hens lost the game 12-5 to take 3rd place.

The next tournament is the Arizona USSSA State Championship at the Big League Dreams in Gilbert, Arizona the weekend of June 7-8.

GO MUD HENS !!