Champions crowned, 12U boys battling in CCPARD youth baseball league

By TJ Maxwell
Cove Leader-Press

Several divisions of the Copperas Cove Parks and Recreation Youth Baseball League have determined their league champions and representatives at the district contest.
In the boys’ 8-and-under division, the Astros went wire to wire to claim the title. After finishing the regular season 8-1 atop the division, the Astros defeated the Rangers 8-3 in round two of the playoffs and edged the Indians 7-6 in the title game to earn the win.
The Indians rallied from a third-place finish in the regular season to earn a spot in the finals. They defeated the White Sox 3-0 in the opening round before ousting the Royals 9-7 to earn the title game.
In the 10U division, the Red Sox completed their impressive undefeated season with a 6-3 win over the Astros on Friday. They finished the regular season 10-0 to win the 10U West division before running their record to 13-0 with a playoff sweep.
The Red Sox began their playoff journey with a 6-1 win over the Diamondbacks in round two before blanking the Royals 11-0 to earn a spot in the finals.
The Astros, who finished second in the 10U East division with a 6-2 record, defeated the Athletics 4-0 and the Marlins 10-4 to earn their spot in the finals.
The 10U West Marlins, who finished 1-7-1 in the regular season, had the upset of the playoffs when they ousted the 10U East Champion Rangers in the second round in a 9-7 contest.
The 14U division champion Astros also completed their season with a playoff sweep. They defeated the Rangers 5-1 in round one of the playoffs before downing the Diamondbacks 11-2 for the title.
The 12U boys will conclude their season this week beginning tonight with round one and culminating Friday with the 12U title game. The Rangers and White Sox will face off at 5:30 p.m. with the Pirates and Dodgers following at 7 p.m. Both games to be played on field 6. The Diamondbacks (8-0-1) will face the winner from the Rangers/White Sox and the Astros will face the Pirates/Dodgers winner at the same time and location on Thursday. Friday’s title game will be at 6 p.m. on field 6.
In the girls’ 8U division, the Sluggers completed their season sweep with a 5-4 win over the Fury in the title game to improve their record to 11-0. They defeated the Diamonds 6-1 in the semifinals to earn the title spot. The Fury earned a 4-2 upset over the Outlaws to earn the title spot. They finished with a 3-7-1 record.
The Diamonds completed their undefeated season in the girls’ 10U division. After finishing the regular season 8-0-1, The Diamonds shutout the Sluggers 8-0 in round one before the 7-1 win over the Fury to win the crown. The Fury (4-7), upset the Outlaws 7-0 in the opening round to earn the title spot.
No city playoffs were held for the girls’ 12U and 15U divisions as they were made up teams from different cities.
The 8U boys will host the state tournament so the top two teams will receive a bye at district and the third-place team will play in District 5 in McGregor along with teams from Quad City and Gatesville.
The top two 12U teams from this week’s city championships will compete in District 6 at Florence. They will compete along with the Academy Rubber Ducks, Jarrell Blue, Harker Heights Iron Pig, Harker Heights Rivercats, Harker Heights Thunder and Harker Heights Iron Birds.
The 14U Astros and Diamondbacks will represent Cove in District 7 at Harker Heights. They will play with the Harker Heights Rangers, Harker Heights red Sox, Academy A’s, Salado Eagles, Belton #1, Belton #2, Temple Wildcats and Temple Rangers. 
The 8U girls Sluggers and Outlaws will compete in District 2 at McGregor with the McGregor Dirt Divas, Troy Her-icanes, Troy Thunder, Moody Outlaws, Gatesville Ro-Buck Tee Shirts, Gatesville Stanley Buick-GMC, Jonesboro Knife River and Gatesville Fitness Center.
The 10U Diamonds and Outlaws will compete in District 3 at Gatesville with Gatesville Moo’s Boutique, Gatesville Messenger, Academy Lady Sting, Florence Glam Slamz, Harker Heights Shock and Harker Heights Punishers. 
The 12U Sluggers will compete in District 3 at Harker Heights along with The Harker Heights Vipers, Belton Bomb Squad, Academy Lady Sting, Temple Titans, Rogers Hot Shots, Rogers Aftershock, Burnet Lady Dawgs and Bertram Pride.
The 12U Fury will compete in District 4 at Gatesville with Gatesville Stanley Chevrolet, Moody Lady Bearcats, Crawford Tow King, Milano Wolf Pack and Lexington Eagles-Koeter.