Do you have a good sports scoop for us? Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
BASEBALL
+ Thrilling finish in PCLL championship
Conyers Plumbing and Poppell Insurance faced off in the Plant City Little League City Championship game May 23, and they gave the fans an instant classic.
There was only one lead change, but it couldn’t have come at a better time for Conyers Plumbing: A walk-off, two-run homer gave the team the 10-9 victory.
Poppell Insurance got the ball rolling with a three-run first inning, and Conyers followed up with two runs of its own. After each team went scoreless in the second inning, they managed to put at least one run on the board in every remaining frame.
Conyers scored four runs in the bottom fifth to tie the game at 8-8, and Poppell used an RBI single to go ahead in the top sixth. In the bottom sixth, following a leadoff single, Rhet Conyers homered, and the Conyers bench went wild.
BASKETBALL
+ Plant City Vipers complete season
Although the Plant City Vipers didn’t leave its final tournament with a championship, it left with a sense of accomplishment.
The 11th-grade team played in the Summer Slam tournament May 24, in Auburndale, first taking on a familiar foe: the Orlando Mets. The Mets had previously beaten Plant City twice, by a total of 23 points; the Vipers finally won on Saturday, 59-46, to open the tournament.
“Our boys have worked hard, they’ve improved, and they beat that same team this time,” team President Reggie Rivers says. “I’m very proud of them.”
After some re-shuffling in the board of directors, the team already is looking to expand as soon as it can. It is exploring the possibility of adding a ninth- and 10th-grade team and an 11th- and 12th-grade team. The Vipers also will keep coaches Jerrod Williams and Byron Woods around.
“With this first year, we’re a very young team, and we’ve had growing pains,” board member Lili Armatrout says. “But, we’re going stronger. With heart and soul and practice and dedication, we will grow better, and we will become champions.”
Although the board is still planning tryouts, one thing is set in stone: A celebration of the Vipers’ first season will be held June 14, at Lakeland’s Off the Wall Paintball. Players will enjoy fun, games, barbecue and more.