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OTTUMWA — They came as close as any Ottumwa Little League baseball team has come to winning a state championship in over 40 years last summer.
Now, Ottumwa's 10-year-old Little League baseball squad is on a mission to finish what they started as nine-year-olds.
Ottumwa improved to 5-0 on the season in district tournament play on Wednesday, erasing just their second deficit of the postseason thus far. Marshall LaPoint's game-tying two-run double was quickly followed by a tiebreaking RBI hit from Riot Miller, who picked up the win on the mound striking out seven batters over four innings in a 7-2 win over Monroe County in a battle of the only two unbeaten teams left in Iowa's seventh district.
"They're a great crew of great kids and they work really hard," Ottumwa coach Bryan Goldsmith said. "It's a group effort between our 12 players, our three coaches and all the parents that jump in and help out a ton.
As nine-year-olds, Ottumwa's current group of 10-year-old All-Stars came within a run of completing a perfect run to bringing home the city's first Little League state championship since 1984. Ottumwa won its first 16 postseason games, making it to the state championship game before falling 6-3 to Davenport Southeast.
Back together this summer, Ottumwa's 10-year-old Little Leaguers are off to another impressive postseason start. Ottumwa has outscored its first five opponents 71-10 scoring at least four runs in an inning during each game with four runs in the sixth inning on Wednesday clinching the victory over Monroe County.
"We're on a mission and that mission it to avenge what happened last year," Bryan Goldsmith said. "These kids have bought into it. They're on the same page."
Ottumwa's resiliency was tested early as Levi Kurimski racked up four of his strikeouts on the mound for Monroe County (4-1) in the first two innings, stranding Drew Goldsmith at third base in the opening inning and Gantz Myers at second base in the second. Jayse Beaumont gave Monroe County the lead, driving an 0-2 pitch into center field with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second driving in the first two runs of the game.
"We've got a target on our backs. We've been telling the kids that all year," Bryan Goldsmith said. "Monroe County is not a team that we can make mistakes and sleep on. They were playing well in those first three innings and forced our kids to have to come through."
The comeback began for Ottumwa with the hustle of Drew Goldsmith, who delivered on the biggest stage last season at state with a three-run home run in a 5-4 win over Davenport Southeast that clinched Ottumwa's spot in the state title game. On Wednesday, the Ottumwa shortstop came up just as big with a ground ball that never left the infield beating out a throw to first for a lead-off single that ignited a go-ahead rally.
Isaac Thompson followed Drew Goldsmith's infield single with a bunt hit, putting the tying runs on base. That brought up LaPoint, who drove the longest hit of the game deep to left field allowing his Ottumwa teammates to keep on running around the bases bringing both runners home to tie the game at 2-2.
"When I was running, I kept thinking 'Oh my gosh, is that gone?'" LaPoint said. "Off the bat, I knew it was getting out there."
Three pitches later, Miller put Ottumwa back in front for good. Miller, who gave up the two-run hit to Beaumont two innings earlier, drilled an 0-2 pitch back up the middle off Kurimski bringing LaPoint home to put Ottumwa up 3-2.
"I got a little mad after I gave up that hit," Miller said. "I knew we could come back. We've been it all season."
LaPoint, Miller and Myers all connected on RBI hits in the sixth inning to help Ottumwa clinch the win. Drew Goldsmith took over the mound, setting down Monroe County's final six batters in relief lifting Ottumwa to 5-0 in a potential preview of next week's 10-year-old district final.
"All these kids play with tremendous confidence. We've really tried to instill that in them all season," Bryan Goldsmith said. "They're here for a reason. They've worked hard all year through minor leagues, major leagues, travel ball or whatever level of baseball they've been playing. They work hard every time. They practice quite a bit. They know they can do it and, at 10 years old, that's half or more of baseball is believing you can do it."
Ottumwa has two games left in pool play, including Friday's contest at home against Davis County starting at 6 p.m. Ottumwa wraps up pool play in Fairfield on Monday against Jefferson County with hopes of locking up a spot in the 10-year-old district championship game, which will be played in Albia on July 1.
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Now, Ottumwa's 10-year-old Little League baseball squad is on a mission to finish what they started as nine-year-olds.
Ottumwa improved to 5-0 on the season in district tournament play on Wednesday, erasing just their second deficit of the postseason thus far. Marshall LaPoint's game-tying two-run double was quickly followed by a tiebreaking RBI hit from Riot Miller, who picked up the win on the mound striking out seven batters over four innings in a 7-2 win over Monroe County in a battle of the only two unbeaten teams left in Iowa's seventh district.
"They're a great crew of great kids and they work really hard," Ottumwa coach Bryan Goldsmith said. "It's a group effort between our 12 players, our three coaches and all the parents that jump in and help out a ton.
As nine-year-olds, Ottumwa's current group of 10-year-old All-Stars came within a run of completing a perfect run to bringing home the city's first Little League state championship since 1984. Ottumwa won its first 16 postseason games, making it to the state championship game before falling 6-3 to Davenport Southeast.
Back together this summer, Ottumwa's 10-year-old Little Leaguers are off to another impressive postseason start. Ottumwa has outscored its first five opponents 71-10 scoring at least four runs in an inning during each game with four runs in the sixth inning on Wednesday clinching the victory over Monroe County.
"We're on a mission and that mission it to avenge what happened last year," Bryan Goldsmith said. "These kids have bought into it. They're on the same page."
Ottumwa's resiliency was tested early as Levi Kurimski racked up four of his strikeouts on the mound for Monroe County (4-1) in the first two innings, stranding Drew Goldsmith at third base in the opening inning and Gantz Myers at second base in the second. Jayse Beaumont gave Monroe County the lead, driving an 0-2 pitch into center field with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second driving in the first two runs of the game.
"We've got a target on our backs. We've been telling the kids that all year," Bryan Goldsmith said. "Monroe County is not a team that we can make mistakes and sleep on. They were playing well in those first three innings and forced our kids to have to come through."
The comeback began for Ottumwa with the hustle of Drew Goldsmith, who delivered on the biggest stage last season at state with a three-run home run in a 5-4 win over Davenport Southeast that clinched Ottumwa's spot in the state title game. On Wednesday, the Ottumwa shortstop came up just as big with a ground ball that never left the infield beating out a throw to first for a lead-off single that ignited a go-ahead rally.
Isaac Thompson followed Drew Goldsmith's infield single with a bunt hit, putting the tying runs on base. That brought up LaPoint, who drove the longest hit of the game deep to left field allowing his Ottumwa teammates to keep on running around the bases bringing both runners home to tie the game at 2-2.
"When I was running, I kept thinking 'Oh my gosh, is that gone?'" LaPoint said. "Off the bat, I knew it was getting out there."
Three pitches later, Miller put Ottumwa back in front for good. Miller, who gave up the two-run hit to Beaumont two innings earlier, drilled an 0-2 pitch back up the middle off Kurimski bringing LaPoint home to put Ottumwa up 3-2.
"I got a little mad after I gave up that hit," Miller said. "I knew we could come back. We've been it all season."
LaPoint, Miller and Myers all connected on RBI hits in the sixth inning to help Ottumwa clinch the win. Drew Goldsmith took over the mound, setting down Monroe County's final six batters in relief lifting Ottumwa to 5-0 in a potential preview of next week's 10-year-old district final.
"All these kids play with tremendous confidence. We've really tried to instill that in them all season," Bryan Goldsmith said. "They're here for a reason. They've worked hard all year through minor leagues, major leagues, travel ball or whatever level of baseball they've been playing. They work hard every time. They practice quite a bit. They know they can do it and, at 10 years old, that's half or more of baseball is believing you can do it."
Ottumwa has two games left in pool play, including Friday's contest at home against Davis County starting at 6 p.m. Ottumwa wraps up pool play in Fairfield on Monday against Jefferson County with hopes of locking up a spot in the 10-year-old district championship game, which will be played in Albia on July 1.
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