Bridgewater Panthers Fall Short In Don Mattingly World Series

The Bridgewater Panthers gave it their all this week in the Don Mattingly World Series in New Mexico, but could not rally themselves to victory, winning only one of the five games they played.

After winning the 17U American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) State Championship, the players were very positive about their chances of making a deep run in the World Series, but could not score enough runs against tough pitching from New Mexico and California teams.

The 2010 AABC Don Mattingly World Series took place July 25 through July 31 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, featuring 20 of the top 17u teams in the country.

The Panthers went 1-1-3 in the tournament. The team lost its first game 7-4, and tied its second game, 4-4, against Rio Rancho. After losing 12-4 against the hard hitters from New Mexico's Albuquerque Baseball Academy, the Panthers bounced back with a 12-3 win against the New Mexico Shockers.

Trying to avoid elimination, the Panthers played the California Bulldogs, and hoped for an easy win, until a two-run double in the 7th inning caused the team to lose a hard-fought game, 4-3, which ended the tournament run.

 After starting the tournament off slow, the team played hard, Coach Brian Trapani said, competing against some very tough teams.

"Jake Esposito was one of our best players," he said. "He was splitting up playing time with another catcher, and he really got us started with big hits. He did an excellent job behind the plate blocking balls and throwing out base runners."

Although the tournament did not end on a high note, the players enjoyed the experience and are looking forward to next season in March.

"We had the opportunity to compete against teams in other states," Trapani said. "We have to take this experience as a positive and move forward."