Jr. Babes go undefeated in Gillette

Hannah Gross
NLJ Correspondent 
 
On July 11 and 12, the Jr. Babe Ruth baseball team took off for the Gillette Invitational and came home undefeated. Kicking the weekend
off with a game against a Sheridan team on Saturday, things didn’t look very hopeful. 
“We didn’t start the game off very well,” said head coach Phil Lipp. 
The athletes committed errors and made mistakes, and the first few innings were going in the wrong direction. But instead of letting the failures get into their heads, Lipp said, the kids didn’t give up. 
Toward the latter half of the game, the team started making a comeback. J.J. Lipp laid down a walk-off bunt, opening the door for third-base runner Holden McConkey to run a “suicide squeeze play,” scoring the final run in the game for a narrow 11-10 victory. 
The following day, the boys played against a team from Busby, Montana, and the energy and excitement of the first day’s win must have carried over because Joe Varner made a good flyball catch, and Ian Simmons pitched a shutout (8-0). 
“Infield played real tough,” Lipp said. 
The game sent the Montana team to the loser’s bracket, but they returned to play against Newcastle for the final game of the weekend. Although the game was slightly closer, Newcastle still managed to pull off a 5-1 win. 
Hogan Tystad pitched a no-hitter, and A.J. Evick closed out the game. Matthew Drake and J.J. played infield at the first and second bases, respectively, and overall, Lipp said that all 12 team members played really well and contributed to the win, even those who weren’t on the field as much. 
“Our infield was just salty,” Lipp said. “It was a true team win.”
Coach Lipp stressed the importance of a positive attitude and said that once his team learns to believe in themselves, they can accomplish anything and win against anyone. 
“You are your own worst enemy,” Lipp said. 
So, after the rough start to the first game, Lipp said, he was proud of his players for keeping their attitudes positive and heads held high, which is what pushed them through to a victory that set the pace for the rest of the weekend. 
“They just played some good baseball,” Lipp said. 
As the team heads back to Gillette on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night, Lipp said, he hopes the team can build off the thrill of this weekend and carry it on for the rest of the season. 
“Everybody contributed, and it was just fun baseball to watch,” Lipp said.