Babe Ruth State Tournament

I covered much of the recent week-long 13-Prep Babe Ruth State Tournament at deSanno Field in Phoenixville.
While the tournament was hit hard by rainy weather that forced postponements and rescheduling, it was still well-run by state tournament director Dave White and the many other fine volunteer workers who have functioned well in Phoenixville, many of them for much of the 50 years of existence of the league.
The rain forced extra work on the field. Under the direction of Bill Moore and Tom Graham, the fine crew kept baseball continuing. Bob Stancavage, Bob Ulisny, Charlie Card and others made sure the diamond was in its customary tip-top shape.
Michelle (Supinski) Card handled her duties as league treasuer. Rich Gyuris Sr. and Bill Krieger headed up the ticket crew in charge of the gate for admission.
Many workers helped out in the popular refreshment stand. Several young boys assisted with the 50-50 raffle fundraiser.
The Dallas French Fries vehicle was on hand for its famous potatoes and other good food for refreshments, too.
Umpires were paid for their services. Bob Hogga assigned them and two men worked each game throughout the tournament. They handled their share of close calls.
The 10-team tournament involved 10 teams in two divisions of pool play. The top three finishers in each division qualified for the Final Six to determine the state champion. West End won the tournament and is also hosting the state tournament in Williamsport this week. Chichester placed second and Mifflin County took third to become the other regional qualifiers.
Four games were played each day in the pool play to start the tournament, resulting in 20 contests just to get the competition started. Each participant is guaranteed four games in the setup as opposed to the previous double-elimination plan.