By Brandon Park
Staff Writer

    The Morgan County Recreational Department was well represented in the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA) 6th District boys and girls baseball tournaments last week.   
    So well, in fact, three championships were won.
    Held in both Moaran and Greene Counties June 23-26, the 9-10 boys and girls Mites, the 11-12 boys and girls Midgets and the 13-14 Junior boys all competed against teams from Putnam, Greene, Wilkinson and Butts counties.
    The Mite, Midget and Junior boys ended the four-day, double elimination tournament with undefeated records and championship victories, while the Mite and Midget girls fell just short with two losses each.
    As a result of their wins, the boys have earned an opportunity to compete in their state tournaments.
    The 9-10 Mite league state tournament will be hosted at the Morgan County Recreation Department July 10-12. The 11-12 Midget league state tournament will be held in Hazelhurst July 9-11, while the 13-14 Junior league state tournament will be in Nashville on the same dates.
    Lights out pitching combined with timely hitting proved to be key for all three of the boys teams.
    The Junior's bats carried them through tournament play, exploding to a run-rule victory over Putnam in the championship game.
    For the Midgets, a first round blowout of Greene quickly changed into pitching duels against Putnam in both the second round and championship games. Both games were narrowly won by one run.
    "It was a real pitching duel against Putnam," assistant coach Nelson Hale said. "We had to scratch out runs in both games."
    The Mites played steady baseball throughout the tournament, combining both hitting and pitching to capture victories over Putnam and Wilkinson.
    As for the girls quest for a division championship, the road was not quite as smooth. The Midget team was eliminated following consecutive losses to Butts and tournament champion Wilkinson.
    A first and third round victory over Putnam was not enough to carry the Mites as tournament champion Wilkinson defeated them in the second round and Butts county eliminated them in the final round.
    "Everybody displayed great sportsmanship and fun was had by all," Athletic Director J.D. Doss said.