All-Stars to start district action

By Sam Waller

Two Albany Little League teams competed in a Machine Pitch tournament last week with two more beginning postseason play this week.

Albany hosted a four-team, double-elimination bracket in the Machine Pitch tournament with opponents from Breckenridge and Cisco.

“Cisco advanced to Abilene and got beat by Wylie,” Albany Little League organizer Paul Hamilton said. “We had two teams in it, and our 7-year-olds actually beat our 8-year olds, then got beat by Cisco and Breckenridge. It was a good tournament.”

On Friday, June 16, Albany’s Majors and Minors all-stars will open the Texas West Little League District 5 tournaments against opponents from Jim Ned.

The Minors All-Stars, coached by Steven Sutton, will host Jim Ned at 6:00 p.m. The Majors All-Stars, coached by Dan Key, will play at 8:00 p.m. at Tuscola in a game originally scheduled for Albany.

“We were supposed to play here, but the Fandangle requested we not have night games because of the lights,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton said efforts to keep the game in Albany were unsuccessful.

“We can’t have two games at 6 o’clock because that would take two umpire crews,” he said. “If we have 6 and 8, one crew can work both games and our concession stand does better and all of the above. Now, just one of our teams gets to host and the other has to travel.”

Both Majors and Minors brackets are double-elimination, guaranteeing Albany teams two games. Brackets for both age groups had not been posted on the District 5 website as of press time.