Thursday, July 3, 2008 (Southaven, Miss.)  -- After surviving three days of Round Robin pool play at this week’s NABF (National Amateur Baseball Federation) World Classic at Southaven’s Snowden Grove Park, the Oklahoma Titans entered Thursday’s 13-year-old Division play as the No. 9 seed.
The Titans pounded the Maryland Cardinals, 9-0, in their first division game, then drew the unenviable task of facing the No. 1-seeded Red Raiders from Longwood, Fla., in Thursday’s second game. The Red Raiders blanked the Mid-South Gamers (Collierville, Tenn.), 8-0, to advance.

Scheduled as a seven-inning game to begin at 6 p.m. local time, the Titans sent ace pitcher Daniel Arthur to the mound against Red Raiders’ hurler Logan Blum.

Arthur, who earlier in the week had suffered the first loss of his season, threw 110 pitches before being pulled in the bottom of the seventh with the Titans leading, 7-2.  He also contributed an out-of-the-park two-run home run, had two singles, scored two runs and added an RBI.

Unfortunately, Arthur’s replacement, Zach Jackson, saw the lead vanish as he surrendered a bases loaded walk to score one run. He then gave up a grand-slam homer to the Red Raiders’ Edwin Bonilla to tie the score at 7-7.

The two teams battled for the next five innings – which included an ordered break in the 12th inning as the Southaven Fire Marshal suspended play in order to proceed with the scheduled Fourth of July fireworks display at Snowden Grove. During the break the field’s sprinkler system – which automatically waters the field each evening at 10:30 p.m. – began pumping water around the outfield. Players and coaches scattered, but city public works employees were able to turn off the sprinklers so play could continue.

During the see-saw affair, the game was tied at 11-11 before the Titans scored two runs in the top of the 12th and held off the Red Raiders’ rally in the bottom of the inning (following the fireworks and sprinkler delays).

Blum, who threw 135 pitches in the game, was relieved in the top of the 11th inning of the four-hour, 50-minute marathon by Johnny Yuroso.

For the Titans, Andrew Rosa had two singles and Coleman Key blasted two home runs, including a three-run shot in the third inning.

By virtue of the win, the Titans advance to face the Gameday Athletics of Huntsville, Ala., in one of the two division semi-final games at 10 a.m. Friday. The South Mississippi Stampede meet the Memphis Travelers in the other semi-final match.

The Athletics defeated the Olney (Md.) Pirates, 7-5, and the South Dayton (Ohio) Braves, 15-2, on Thursday. The Stampede advanced by virtue of their 3-2 win over the Mt. Juliet (Tenn.) Bearcats and their 11-1 win over the Arlington (Tenn.) Tigers Gold. Memphis downed Team Collierville (Tenn.), 10-2, and Legends Baseball of Nashville, Tenn., 8-0.

In the 11-year-olds division, the Mississippi Royals and Collierville (Tenn.) Dragons meet in one of Friday morning’s semi-final match, while the Tupelo (Miss.) Rangers face the Germantown (Tenn.) Giants in the other semi-final.

The Royals advanced by downing the Sykesville (Md.) Cyclones, 4-1, and the Mississippi Mustangs, 6-1, while the Dragons defeated Cincinnati (Ohio) Stix National, 8-0, and the Paducah (Ky.) Storm, 9-3. The Rangers edged the Cincinnati Astros, 16-5, and the Arkansas Skeeters, 6-4, while the Giants took care of the Southaven (Miss.) Panthers, 8-0, and the Memphis (Tenn.) Tigers, 6-5.

The 10-year-olds division finds the Southern Jaguars of Atlanta, Ga., playing the Germantown (Tenn.) Giants in one semi-final, and Team Collierville (Tenn.) meeting the Cincinnati (Ohio) Riverbats in the other.

The Jaguars defeated the Delta Storm of Clarksdale, Miss., 9-0, and the Silver Sluggers of Memphis, 13-2, while the Giants downed the Jackson (Tenn.) Coyotes, 5-4, and the Elizabethtown (Ky.) Shock, 14-13. Team Collierville blanked the DeSoto (Miss.) Cardinals, 2-0, and edged the Memphis Tigers, 6-2. The Riverbats took care of the Germantown (Tenn.) Sox, 13-3, and the North Alabama Sharks, 8-0.

Friday’s semi-final games start at 10 a.m., followed by the championship games at 12:30 p.m. local time.

Prior to starting division play on Thursday, the teams took part on a three-day Round Robin pool play event to determine which teams would advance. All 16 teams competing in the 10-year-olds division advanced to today’s play, with the 12 teams that lost on Thursday being eliminated from the tournament.

In the 11-year-olds division, the Mid-South Gamers of Collierville, Tenn., and the Memphis Eagles were eliminated from the 16-team field.  

Nine teams dropped out of the tournament’s largest field, the 13-year-olds division. Eliminated during pool play were the Mississippi Vipers of Southaven, Miss.; Southwest Ohio teams 1 and 2, both of Cincinnati; the DeSoto County (Miss.) Redwings; the Angels of Hernando, Miss.; the Bolton (Tenn.) Wildcats; the Memphis (Tenn.) Tigers; the Cincinnati (Ohio) Styx; and the Clarksville (Tenn.) A’s.

The week-long event also features a nine-year-olds division, which hosts semi-finals and a championship game on Friday, and a 16-year-olds division, which was limited to Round Robin pool play on June 30 – July 2.

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