Super proud of Houston and his fighting Tigers, who are Pinto league champs! And let me tell you, they didn’t come by this designation easily.

Coach Phil used his fancy-shmancy camera to take this cool shot of the team during playoffs. I think it perfectly captures the focus & drive it took these kids to beat the fierce competition.

The team had lost only one game in the regular season, so they went into the playoffs seated number one. However, the Tigers lost their first playoff game to the Braves — a team they had already beaten twice in the regular season — so they were placed in the loser bracket.

They quite handily offed the Dodgers, Marlins, and then the Orioles, who were both formidable teams. In fact, it was the to the Orioles that the Tigers suffered their only regular-season loss. And did I mention that our neighbor and the boys’ good pal, Nick 2, played on that team?

So, after winning games on a Monday and Tuesday, they had to face the Braves again. Now, this was a team who remained undefeated during playoffs, so the Tigers would only win by coming out on top of a double elimination that Wednesday and Thursday.

This kid never got nervous during playoffs … seriously. Now, Stephen & I on the other hand, got a bit antsy on occasion. Yet, Houston remained cool as a cucumber & focused on the big picture: play your best & have fun.

The first game wrapped up when Houston fielded a grounder at short stop and then slid into second to get an out. One coach likened his moves to a “shooting rocket.” It was a pretty dramatic game-ending play, and the Tigers won!

Houston got to shine on first base during all the playoffs, and that second Braves game was no exception. It is a fact: that boy can catch. And he and his teammates had to have sharp skills in every way, as well as be maniacs on the defense to come out on top of these hard-won playoffs.

What a super-fun season of competitive rec baseball. Way to go, Tigers!