The Delray Beach Little League All-Stars were eliminated from the sectionals with a 2-1 loss to Eau Gallie.
After Eau Gallie grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first Delray Beach was able to knot the game at 1-1 in its half of the inning. Peyton Murray opened with a single to center and moved to second on a sacrifice by Will Stucken. Murray, who also walked twice in the game, went to third on a groundout and scored on an error to tie the game at 1-1.
Eau Gallie, which could only muster two hits in the game, plated a run in the top of the sixth to win the contest 2-1.
Stucken, Luke Godin, Axl Ortlieb, Jack Hasey and Brandon Forte also had hits in the game.
In the sectional opener, Delray Beach suffered a 6-3 setback against the Martin County National Little League. Delray Beach’s Stucken and Ortlieb were both hit by pitches to lead off the second inning and moved to second and third where Forte lined a two-run single to left field.
In the third inning, Murray reach on a lead-off single, went to second on a groundout, and moved to third on a wild pitch. Connor Masters lined a run-scoring single to right to close the deficit to 6-3.
Delray Beach manager Greg Murray said he enjoyed his stint with the team, adding there are many more lessons to teach other than throwing or hitting a baseball. He also said there is also a little juggling to do between their travel baseball obligations and playing for the All-Stars.
“It’s a little bit of a magic trick,” said Murray, who has coached in the league for six years. “I have to credit our travel coach Ryan Lamb, whose been coaching these kids for two years. These kids have gained a lot through their program.
“It is tough to navigate,” he said. “It is about what the children want, and you have to be in tune with that. Do they want to play in two leagues? Do they want to play rec? Do they want to play travel? Do they want to do one or the other?”
Murray said some of the players feel pressure to perform regardless if it is travel or in a recreational league.
“Sometimes the pressure is felt playing against their friends in their hometown rec league is really what gets their juices flowing,” Murray said. “I am a big believer as a coach, or as a dad or a mom is that you go as far with it as far as your children really are enjoying it and you just take them.
“You don’t have to demand that they play more than they want to, and that is the tricky balance between rec and travel,” Murray said. “At the end of it, that is what this is a culmination of. These boys deserve this. They deserve it because they worked really, really hard. They are very diligent. They are intelligent. They have grit.”
