photos courtesy of Melissa Gravat
It has been five years in the making, but the hard work and dedication from the players, parents, and coaches paid off for the Cody’s Angels in late July as the girls captured the 2009 16-Under World Series Championship in Southaven.
Magen Tapley
The Angels cruised through Pool Play to enter the double-elimination tournament as the number one seed, but lost their first game of the season 4-1 to the Rookies (Jasper, AL) in the second round of tournament play..
“You never really know how some teams are going to react when they lose their first game after winning they way we had all summer. You never want to lose that first game during the World Series, but it kind of snapped them back into reality and made them take the tournament a little more serious,” Coach John Gravat.
Houston bounced back from their first lost of the season to defeat the Lady Aces (Elizabeton, TN) 16-0 in five innings to stay alive in tournament play before the Angles avenged their lone loss of the season with a 4-3 win over the Rookies to force Game 2 of the World Series Championship Series.
Shelby Whitt
Halee Hunter (Amory HS) led off the bottom of the fifth with a walk and scored double by Shelby Whitt (Houston HS) to take a 2-0 lead, but the Rookies scored two in the top of the sixth to tie the contest.
Raven Hayes (Houston HS) led off the bottom of the sixth with a double and scored on a single by Magen Tapely (Hebron Christian), who scored on a pass ball later in the inning to give the Angels a 4-2 lead.
Jasper got a triple to lead off the seventh and scored on a one-out sacrifice fly, but Haley Gravat (Houston HS) struck out the next batter to escape elimination and force a second game to determine the World Series Champion.
Whitt went 2-for-3 with a double, single, and a RBI while Tapley went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and a RBI. Gravat struck out four batters in the win.
Raven Hayes
On Sunday, a pair of errors proved costly for the Rookies in a 2-0 loss in the World Series winner-takes-all championship game.
Paige Earnest (Amory HS) and Gravat reached on errors in the fourth. Earnest scored on a sacrifice fly by Whitt. Gravat scored on single by Bailey Oswalt (Amory HS) to take a 2-1 lead.
Jasper put the game tying run on second base in the seventh, but solid defensive play from the Angels closed the door on a late-game rally allowing Houston to come away with the win and earn the 2009 World Series Championship.
“Ashley Camp (Amory HS) made a diving stop down the third base line and tagged the runner out before getting up and dove on third base to turn a double play to get out of the inning when they had bases loaded late in the game. It was those kind of plays that really made the difference for us this summer,” Gravat.
Cathryn Moore
Oswalt went 3-for-3 with a trio of singles and two RBI while Gravat struck out four batters in the win.
Gravat earned World Series MVP honors by going 4-for-12 with 2 singles, 2 doubles, 3 runs batted in, and 2 runs scored while compiling a 2-1 record from the circle allowing 7 earned runs on 16 hits, 8 walks, 1 hit batsman, and 13 strike outs.
Other players on the Cody’s Angels’ roster: Courtlyn McCollum (Amory HS) and Cathryn Moore (Hebron Christian).
“I wouldn’t trade any of these girls for the world,” Gravat. “I have never seen a bunch of girls get along like they did all summer long… it was a real joy coaching them and I hope the best for all of them this year.”
Haley Gravat
The season is not over for Cody’s Angels. The team will travel to Atlanta to be apart of the Champions Parade and be recognized for winning the World Series before the Braves’ game against the Florida Marlins on Sunday.
The team qualified for the World Series by winning the State Championship in impressive fashion. The Angles dominated the competition by outscoring their opponents 55-0 during State Championship play.
The team’s unique name is in honor of Coach Gravat’s son who was killed in an automobile accident. Coach Jeff Whitt was also a member of the championship coaching staff.
Other Houston and Hebron Christian player stats:
Whitt – 4-for-14 with 2 singles, 1 double, 1 triple, 3 RBI, and 1 run
Hayes – 9-for-15 with 6 singles, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 RBI, and 5 runs
Tapley – 8-for-13 with 1 walk, 6 singles, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, and 6 runs
Moore – 4-for-11 with 1 walk, 1 hit batsman, 3 singles, 1 double, 1 RBI, and 1 run
