CCPARD city baseball, softball championships get underway

By TJ MAXWELL
Cove Leader-Press

For a lot of youngsters, June is a time to cut loose after another year of school and hard work has come and gone.
For others, the work is just beginning.
That is the case for the youth involved in the Copperas Cove Parks and Recreation baseball and softball league whose city playoffs and quest for a state championship begin this week.
The girls 15-and-under and 12-and-under teams will not have a playoff due to teams being from multiple cities, but the 8-and-under machine pitch began last night, and the 10-and-under girls will get underway on Monday.
The 8-and-under’s Outlaws (7-1-1) and Sluggers (0-6-3) faced off in the 6 p.m. contest while the Fury (6-3) and Diamonds (2-5-2) played at 7:15 p.m. at Copperas Cove City Park’s Field 3 (results not available at press time). The championship game is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Field 3. 
The 10-and-under group begins with the Rebels (2-7-1) and Diamonds (1-6-2) kicking off the city championships at 6 p.m. with the Outlaws (2-5-2) and Sluggers (6-2-1) to follow at 7:20 p.m. The undefeated Fury (9-0) will face the winner of the Rebels/Diamonds matchup Tuesday at 6 p.m. and the champion will be crowned following the championship game set for 6 p.m. Wednesday. 
The top two teams from the 12-and-under and 15-and-under teams will earn a spot in the postseason. The Fury (8-1) lead the 12-and-under division followed by Bat Attitude Lampasas (5-1), Outlaws (6-3), Sluggers (1-8) and Diamonds (0-7). The 15-and-under division standings are: Gatesville Sonic Drive-in (7-1), Gatesville Phat Bat Batting Cages (5-2), Copperas Cove Sluggers (4-3), Harker Heights Ravens (2-5), Copperas Cove Rebels (2-5) and Harker Heights Blue Jays (0-6).
The boys get things underway next week with the 12-and-under teams kicking things off on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at City Park’s Field 6. The undefeated Astros (8-0) lead the division with the regular season wrapping up on Monday, followed by the Red Sox (6-2), Rangers (3-2-1), Tigers (2-5), Fort Hood Mets (0-6). The 12-and-under championship game is set for 12:05 p.m. Saturday, June 22 with a playoff game set for 3:05, if necessary.
The 10-and-under East and West divisions wraps up this weekend. The East division is led by the undefeated D-Backs (5-0-1), followed by the Athletics (5-3-1), Giants (2-3), Rangers (2-4) and Brewers (1-5). The West division is led by the Dodgers (8-1), followed by the Yankees (6-2), Red Sox (3-4), the Astros (1-6) and the Marlins (1-6). The post-season schedule is not yet available.
The 10-team, 8-and-under division will open up the playoffs on Thursday at 6 p.m. on City Park’s Fields 1 and 2. 
The undefeated Marlins (7-0) lead the division followed by the Rangers (5-1-1), D-Backs (2-1-2), Red Sox (2-2-1), Brewers (4-4), Astros (3-3-2), Athletics (2-4-1), Cardinals (1-3-2). Giants (1-5-1) and White Sox (1-5). The regular season concludes on Tuesday.
The multi-city 14-and-under boys’ team is led by Jonesboro B&R Construction (7-1) followed by Gatesville Kaibas Machine Shop (6-2), Gatesville Farney Machine and Tool (5-3), Cove Rangers (4-6) and Cove Dodgers (0-10). The top two teams move on. 
Also, the select baseball team CenTex Thunder went undefeated in the 12-and-under HOT Premiere Summer Kickoff baseball tournament. Copperas Cove Junior High players Diego Velasquez, Hayden Welch, Cody Lingo, Kamren Rodriguez and Matai Anzaldua and S.C. Lee player Trent Sanders are members of the squad.