By Staff
FROM STAFF REPORTS
The Murder Creek Mudcats ended their inaugural fall baseball season with a third place finish at the ASP Oktoberfest Tournament held at Pace, Fla.
Although the Mudcats finished the season with a losing record, they finished play ranked sixth in points out of 40 teams playing in the Alabama USSSA Fall Baseball season for 12-year-old AAA teams. Points are based on tournament finishes and strength of competition.
The Mudcats went 1-1 in pool play Saturday, as they knocked off the Tallahassee Panthers and fell at the hands of the Pensacola River Rats. They opened the single elimination portion of the tournament Sunday with a victory over the Pace Vipers. They finished up with another setback to Pensacola.
&#8220We played two very good games against Tallahassee and Pace, but, but didn't play very well against Pensacola in either game,” said Mudcats manager Tony Smith. &#8220Beating the Pace Vipers, who were the fourth-ranked team in north Florida last year, was very satisfying. Starting pitcher Kevin Davis pitched a beautiful game. Both Vipers' runs were unearned, and he pitched out of a bases loaded situation in the third inning with consecutive strikeouts. Kevin has been the ace of our pitching staff and has had to face the strongest teams every tournament we played.”
Smith said Davis was not the only Mudcat hurler to step up.