The Pembroke 10u baseball team/Cal Ripkin Division won the Abbott Memorial Championship in Perry on Sunday.
The team was one of 15 teams invited to play in the two day tournament, playing five games total. Over the two day tournament, the team scored a total of 50 runs, only allowing 5 against.
They defeated Letchworth in the semi-final game 7-1 and then defeated Nunda in the championship game 9-0.
“They played together as a team and they played flawless baseball,” says Coach Dan Lang.
Pitchers PJ Reeves, Zachary Hartz and Brayden Lang helped keep the runs to only 5 scored against the Dragons. Home runs by Madden Perry and PJ Reeves along with great fielding by Ryan Zika, Owen Schultz and the rest of the Dragons helped seal the deal to bring the championship home.
Lang’s son Brayden struck out the last six batters in the final game.
Brayden wears number 46, like his great-grandfather Harry, who played for the Red Sox in the minors. Known as “Papa Harry”, Brayden spent a lot of time with his great-grandfather before he passed away a few years ago.
“They always talked baseball,” says Lang.
Before the games on Sunday, Brayden was really thinking of his Papa Harry Lang says.
“He gets down on himself sometimes, he worked hard in the offseason.”
“When he was done on the mound he was very emotional, he lost it and dad lost it too a bit. It was good to see him wear it on the outside, good to show our emotions, one of those happy tears and boy there is nothing better than happy tears. It was something to be proud of, something I’ll have forever, its a bond that doesn’t break.”