The A-Plush Lawns, Edward Jones and Rolland Bros. Seed teams capped the Blair Youth Softball Association Modified seasons with tournament titles.
A-Plush won the A Division, grades 7-12, on June 26 before Edward Jones and Rolland Bros. added their B and C final wins Thursday at the Blair Youth Sports Complex.
“I'm going to hang it on my wall with all of my other ones,” Adelle Abrahams said through a smile when asked what her plans were for the new first-place medal hanging around her neck. The Edward Jones pitcher explained how she tried her best to stay calm, leading her grades 4-6 B Division squad to an 8-3 win against second-place Jennings Millwright Services.
“I'm proud of our whole team,” said Khloe Gillespie, Abrahams' Edward Jones teammate.
She said her team won by, “Having positivity, and not overthrowing the ball as much as we do.”
Rolland Bros. Seed of Arlington won the grades 2-3 C Division tournament with a 4-2 victory against NP Dodge Real Estate-Heller. After a long semifinals win, the champions wrapped up their title well after bedtime Thursday.
“We had a long, long day,” coach Carney Rolland said. “We got here early. We warmed up and we just worked together.”
He said the Arlington squad stayed focused, but, most importantly, kept cheering each other on all night.
“We had great team spirit and that's what it takes with these young kids to keep them engaged,” Rolland said.
One Rolland Bros. player was delighted to find out that she and her teammates were going to be able to keep their first-place medals. Altogether, it was a good night for the Arlington youngsters — and their parents.
“It's awesome,” Rolland said. “This is my oldest daughter. It's my first time coaching 8U, and I had a bunch of awesome, awesome coaches that helped me.”
A-Plush won its title 24 hours earlier, besting AJ's Repair in tournament finale. On Thursday, though, girls from all four A Division teams joined together for one last hurrah this season — an all-star game.
