Aug 6, 2012 rockets win championship wbc

Good morning baseball fans, it’s a beautiful day in Portland

The Portland rockets hosted the world baseball congress tournament this

Weekend,  6 teams Cincinnati, Cleveland, Chicago, ft  wayne, Lebanon, Portland

Vie for the 4^th wbc title, ---certainly a blockbuster of good baseball teams

The Portland rockets were crowned tournament champion.  The home team defeated

The Illinois jayhawks 5-2 in the title game last evening. The jayhawks had won the tournament last year, and 2 of the last 3.  

This was to be portlands day.  Championship Sunday is reserved for the survivors who gut it out, execute and make the plays----3 teams entered Sunday with a 2-0 record

Ohio fightin titans, the number one seed lost to the jayhawks, the rockets edged the ft wayne jackers 3-2 setting the stage for the title game.

Michael caley won over old former rocket garrett wiejak, 3-2,  Michael from markle scattered 6 hits thru 5 2/3 inn.  But big dan bollenbacker saved the game retiring the last 5 out of 6 batters he faced,  slamming the door on a jacker rally in the 6^th  with the bases loaded.  Rockets scored 2 in the 1^st  on zach tanners double, then tanner again doubled in the 3^rd and billy wellman drove him home,,,,that’s clutch  the 3 and 4 hitters in our lineup coming thru. 

The rockets jumped up early in the final, 5-2 in the 4^th , key the logan hug bunt single that loaded the bases, followed by rbi singles by Dalton tinsely and Kirby Campbell. Billy ballgame, billy geeslin went 77 pitches, walked 5 but gave up only 2 hits, he went 4 inn, travis gray pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the 5^th, then captain mitch waters, who had pitched a Friday win over Lebanon, came on and closed out the nite for Portland in a fashion only mitch could finish.  You should have seen the jubilation around the rocket veteran,,wow what a weekend ,,air horns, potato guns, broken lites, fire on the light poles, ejections, mayor geeseman on hand to welcome the teams.  Larry chittum, he played on the first rocket team in 1960 sang the national anthem.

By the way, happy to report Lebanon ss,drew brantly  who had a defibrillator trigger his heart on Friday nite ---sent him into cardiac arrest ---a very scary scene  is home and doing well. Good work jay county ems.i willalways       see Kirby Campbell holding on tto the fallen player and he , holding onto Kirby while Kirby prayed,,,,powerful,,,the rockets went on to beat Lebanon, 4-2 mitch waters was dealing going the distance giving up ust  4 hits , 7 Ks.  Billy wellman had 2 rbi ,  2 hits Kirby Campbell ---man he is a good player, solid….

Rockets the only team in the field to go 4-0 claimed the trophy ---and a beautiful world baseball congress banner from pengad  but the road to the title wasn’t easy

Over 4 inches of rain sat nite and sun made playing conditions impossible but enter vacman, brad miller and the shop vac and a lot of hardworking  rockets made the field playable,,,also thanks for the breeze and the prayers form the prayer warriors, 

Also special to the day ,  all the former players from decades past, david lyons made some calls, and we had a reunion of sorts, tom Nixon brought his collett uniform, collet billy goats, some guys like Gerald kunce and many more,

What a tournament ---mvp chris miller for his handiwork catching all 4 games zach tanner had 7 hits and the only rocket home run, tinsely 5, wellman, Campbell and waters 4 each

But great tournament atmosphere made Portland a great tournament host, and a great champion,,,,record 26-9 and regional bound in cinci this week

Portland the champion and we stand Portland proud

Randy miller pg 14