Local 10U Baseball Teams shine in Kansas Tournament
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The summer heat was no match for the hot bats and steady pitching of the Mineral Area Nationals 10U ballplayers as they traveled to Goddard, Kansas, for a whirlwind of competition, camaraderie, and championship glory. They left the Parkland as the MA Nationals and returned as Babe Ruth Super Regional Tournament champs.
A team representative said, “The tournament format can get a little tricky — teams that win their way to the playoffs compete under the Mineral Area Nationals or Mineral Area Americans names, depending on division, even if it’s not the same roster from year to year. This time, it was the “Nationals” banner flying high.”
The Parkland area was well-represented by players selected from several area teams, including:
*Bandits – Payson Albee (#24), Archie Stroup (#23), Beau Watson (#99), Corbin Redmond (#15), Henry Ellis (#3), Jack Schweiss (#25), Jaxon Morton (#14), Ricky Norden (#7), and batboy Miller Redmond.
* Mineral Area Nationals 10U – Jameson Seabourne (#10), Parker Murphy (#26), Ruger Oder (#9).
*West County – Reid Lashley (#12), Hayden Shannon (#8 – a late addition who had competed at regionals with the 11U but was eligible to step in when his team was eliminated).
Day 1 – Big Bats and Fast Starts
Pool play opened with a statement win against the Lamar (Colorado) 10U AllStars. The Nationals short-gamed Lamar in just four innings, 16–6. Parker Murphy set the tone with a triple to center, Jack Schweiss followed with a single to left, and Reid Lashley brought the crowd to its feet with a legitimate inside-the-park home run to the fence. The third inning was explosive — 12 runs scored, highlighted by extra base hits from Parker Murphy and Jack Schweiss. On the mound, Corbin Redmond gave up just one hit in two scoreless innings before Beau Watson and Jack Schwiess came in to close it out.
Game two was even more lopsided — a 17–0 rout over the East Central 9U AllStars of Colorado. The team worked counts early, drawing multiple bases-loaded walks to take a 7–0 first-inning lead. In the second, Payson Albee delivered a two-RBI single. Parker Murphy added his own inside-the-park homer in the third. Ruger Oder and Ricky Norden combined for three innings of one-hit, shutout baseball.
Day 2 – A NailBiter and a BounceBack
The morning matchup against the Kansas Diamond Ducks was a defensive gem on both sides. Payson Albee drove in the only run until the fourth inning, but Kansas tied it, then scored two in the sixth for a 3–1 win. Jaxon Morton was dominant early, striking out four and allowing no runs over two innings, with Archie Stroup pitching three solid frames in relief.
The boys regrouped for their second game against the Mineral Area 9U AllStars, breaking it open with a seven-run second inning. Big hits from Ricky Norden, Archie Stroup, Payson Albee, and Jack Schweiss powered the 12–5 victory. Albee and Corbin Redmond kept things under control on the mound, while Archie led the offense with two hits.
Bracket Play – Drama and Destiny
As the No. 2 seed, the Nationals opened bracket play against the East Central 10U AllStars (Colorado) in a tense, back-and-forth battle. After leading 2–0 early, East Central tied it, then took the lead in the top of the sixth. Down 3–2 with one last chance, Jack Schweiss drew a walk, Ruger Oder tripled to bring him home, and Henry Ellis smacked a single through the gap to win it, 4–3. Adding to the fun, both starting pitchers were named Payson — a rare and memorable coincidence.
Meanwhile, on the next field, underdog Lamar upset top-seeded Kansas. That set the stage for a Nationals–Lamar championship game.
Championship – Nationals Dominate
Lamar jumped ahead with a first-inning run, but the Nationals answered immediately, plating five in the bottom of the first and never looking back. Corbin Redmond’s two-RBI triple set the tone, and Jack Schweiss’ inside-the-park homer in the second extended the lead. By the third inning, the boys had tacked on seven more runs to seal a 16–1, three-inning championship victory. Parker Murphy went the distance on the mound, striking out four and allowing just one unearned run. Jack Schweiss led with three RBIs, while Archie Stroup, Jaxon Morton, Parker Murphy, Henry Ellis, Jack Schweiss, Corbin Redmond Reid, and Payson Albee all notched hits.
It was a weekend filled with clutch pitching, timely hitting, and proud parents cheering from the stands. Dedication and sportsmanship were the rules of the day for the collection of athletes. Whether they wore Bandits, Nationals, or West County jerseys during the regular season, they came together as one team and brought home a championship for the Parkland.
Lisa Brotherton-Barnes is a Daily Journal and Farmington Press staff writer. She can be reached at lbarnes@dailyjournalonline.com.
