近距离内射合集

The players on Eastdale Little League鈥檚 roster were a few decades away from being born when the first Rocky movie was released.

But that didn鈥檛 prevent coach Cory Harris from referencing the beloved fictional boxer after his squad was upset by Bayard-based Copper Little League in its opening state tournament game on July 17.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a sucker punch,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淲e just used an analogy, kind of like the old Rocky series, and that was (the first) Rocky. So we kind of kept the boys motivated.鈥�

As Rocky Balboa himself might have told the team: 鈥淚t ain't how hard you hit; it鈥檚 about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.鈥�

Harris believes that philosophy can also apply to baseball.

鈥淪ometimes the loss is good, and in certain tournaments if you can get it early it鈥檚 good motivation to keep going,鈥� the coach said. 鈥淚t was not a loss we expected, not from that kind of team. But you know, we made our errors, we made our mistakes and we just used that as momentum to keep going forward.鈥�

If the Eastdale boys 鈥� ranging from ages 9 to 12 in the Majors Division 鈥� weren鈥檛 aware prior to this summer that Balboa avenged a loss to Apollo Creed in the sequel, they are now. Eastdale followed that cinematic blueprint, winning four consecutive games, including a revenge matchup against Copper, en route to a berth in this year鈥檚 Southwest Regionals in Waco, Texas. Eastdale closed out the bracket by besting Artesia 4-0 in the championship game.

鈥淎fter that (Copper game) it was pretty devastating,鈥� said center fielder Gus Pitcher. 鈥淏ut then after the Yucca game (Eastdale won 15-0), we got a lot of momentum and then just carried that to the championship. I feel like that's what we did so well.鈥�

Eastdale will begin the next phase of its journey with a matchup against Clinton, Mississippi, on Aug. 6 at 3 p.m. While it is the team鈥檚 second consecutive trip to regionals, this year鈥檚 squad features 10 new players and a different coach. Two players, Parker Millburn and Dashel Kreutzer, saw action last year when Eastdale was eliminated in two games.

The regional stage, which includes facing a bevy of talented players from other states and the spotlight of ESPN coverage, can be daunting for newcomers. Having a couple of veterans might help ease that transition.

鈥淚 learned that the teams are tough, and that I think we're prepared for this team to go out there and just see,鈥� Millburn said. 鈥淢e and Dash, we鈥檝e gone last year, and we saw high velocity. Now we told this team and we're prepared.鈥�

During a recent practice, the Eastdale coaching staff brought a couple early high school-age La Cueva pitchers to the mound to help simulate the superior velocity the team expects to face in the regionals.

鈥淓veryone knows the two Texas teams and the Louisiana teams are always probably your top three teams. You can go look at the history books and you'll see that,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淪o we expect to win, and if we get to those teams, it's going to be a little bit different. But it's all about just mindset and knowing what they like to do.鈥�

This year鈥檚 Eastdale squad is characterized by an ideal blend of chemistry 鈥� Millburn says they enjoy spending time together off the field 鈥� and baseball fundamentals. According to Harris, it鈥檚 a well-balanced team with a solid foundation of pitching and defense. In fact, everyone on the roster is capable of taking the mound if needed. That type of depth that could prove valuable in Waco.

鈥淎ll 12 of my kids can pitch,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淲ould I start all 12? I would not start all 12. But I have 12 that can go any time. There are about five of them that we can throw in for maybe an inning or two just to get us through something. But we have six to seven solid starters that we can pull at any given point in time depending on what the game calls for.鈥�

That versatility is a team-wide attribute that extends throughout the field.

鈥淚 like that we鈥檙e very balanced,鈥� Pitcher said. 鈥淚f you took someone out of position and had to fill them in with a different player, then you wouldn鈥檛 notice because nothing would change. It would be very clean fielding and everything. I like how we can all get the foot down and hit fast pitching, too.鈥�

For many of the kids, the experience extends beyond what happens on the diamond. Pitcher, for example, is looking forward to 鈥渂onding with the team and just having fun at the hotel.鈥�

鈥淚t's going to be fun to have our own room and stuff,鈥� he added.

For those who have been there before, like Millburn, there鈥檚 plenty of optimism. State tournament upset aside, Eastdale doesn鈥檛 necessarily qualify as the plucky underdog in a New Mexico context, but that perception changes in Texas 鈥� where perhaps they鈥檒l have the chance to channel Rocky again and defy the odds.

鈥淚t feels nice to go to Waco again,鈥� Millburn said. 鈥淚 think we'll do well and better than what we did last year. I think it will be fun.鈥�