14-U Vienna All-Stars Advance to Regional Tourney

The 14-U Vienna All-Stars earned a berth into the Babe Ruth League Southeast Regional Tournament, where they will compete to move on to the World Series.

After placing second at the state tournament Monday, the Vienna team will travel to Greenville, N.C., to compete in the regional tournament scheduled to begin July 28.

The Vienna All-Stars fell to Augusta 12-9 in the state championship game after a tumultuous seven innings that saw the lead switch between teams three times in two innings and Vienna piece together a comeback that fell short.

Vienna fell behind in the top of the second, heading into the bottom of the inning down 4-0. But they rallied to post five runs of their own to take the lead.

But Augusta mounted a rally of their own, scoring six more runs to put them ahead 10-5. As Vienna chipped away at the lead, Augusta was able to score two more runs and cap Vienna at nine.

"The boys played hard, with great attitude," said Cathleen Ale, whose son Thomas served as the game's starting pitcher for Vienna.

The team also earned the Don Rose State Commissioner's Sportsmanship Team Award at the tournament.

"What a fantastic group of boys to coach," said Ed Cazenas, head coach. "They came together as a team, gelling at the right time and encouraging teammates the entire tournament."