The Patoka Patriots won the Gold Championship of the 8u Pinto World Series in Marion beating the country of Bonaire in the finals 8-6 after a long day of baseball. Patoka opened bracket play with a thrilling 11-10 win over Kankakee before knocking off previously unbeaten Eldorado who entered the tournament at 21-0 on the season, until Patoka eliminated them 9-2 to get to the finals.
Coach Matt Thompson told WJBD after the tournament, “It was a fun experience meeting new teams and hearing some great stories from the international teams. The competition was tough. Not only was the baseball experience great, but the atmosphere of kids interacting with one another. It’s the game of baseball and sharing the love of it with people far away definitely was memorable and we will never forget it.”
Centralia 618 played in the Red Consolation Championship bracket and won their first elimination game 14-4 over Herrin before falling to eventual bracket winner Cambria 12-9.
The Mount Vernon Renegades played in the Red Championship bracket and dropped their first game to eventual Red Champion Marion SI Strikers 20-5.
