By Robert Thomas

Flower Mound, Tx- The week long AAYBA World Series in Bakersfield Park in Flower Mound, Texas had 176 teams playing in over 600 games in three age divisions.

But only four teams made it to the Platinum title games in the 12 and 14-and-under groups on Saturday, with the AR-LA-TEX Tornado winning the 14-and-under title and the North Texas Titans claiming the 12-and-under championship.

AR-LA-TEX Tornado (Shreveport, La.) 12, Texas Blackhawks Black (Fort Worth, Tx.) 3

Playing at Lewisville High School for the Platinum Division title, the AR-LA-TEX Tornado completed a dominating run through the AAYBA World Series with a run-rule win over the Texas Blackhawks Black on Saturday.

The Tornado, the Platinum South champs after a 13-3 victory over the Flower Mound (Tx.) Warriors, never trailed in the game after a four-run first inning and a seven-run second frame. "These kids have been playing together since they were eight and they wanted to finish up the summer by playing well here," said Tornado coach Rob Horn. "Our guys hit well and played well against a very good baseball team in the Blackhawks."

The Tornado wasted little time getting on the board in the first inning, getting a two-run single from Cameron Burns (3-for-4, 3 RBIs) for a 2-0 lead. Jared Thompson added an RBI groundout to score Paul Carpenter, with Robby Horn blasting a run-scoring double to cap the frame. The Blackhawks came back in the bottom of the inning, with Dallas Alderton and Christian Gonzales both scoring on wild pitches to cut the lead to 4-2.

Both teams then picked up single runs in the second, with the Tornado getting an RBI single from Garrett Williams and the Blackhawks using a run-scoring single by Gonzales to plate the runs. After that, however, it was all Tornado as they scored seven times in the third inning to put the game away. 12 batters came to the plate in the inning against two Blackhawks pitchers.

Both Lee Raley (2-for-4) and Carpenter each had singles for two RBIs, with Burns and Robby Horn also adding RBI hits. Williams scored the other run in the frame on a fielding error. The run support was more than enough for Tornado starter Ryan Leone, as he struck out five and scattered four hits in five innings for the win.

Standouts for the Tornado were Williams (2-for-4, 2 runs scored), Robby Horn (2-for-3), Weston Steelhamer and Steven Smith.

The Blackhawks, Platinum North champions after a 5-0 win over the Flower Mound Force, were led by Gonzales (3-for-3), Maya L'Douchere and relief pitcher Nick Gillespie (retired seven of the final eight batters).

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