Got a chance to see Marilyn's sister's daughter (my niece) Hannah play in the 9/10 all-stars for St. Albans in 2011 ... Essex's aggressive baserunning and refined pitching (for that age) took the victory 14-1, but it was nice to see St. Albans represented with a promising young pitcher and some bright new faces.

At this age, they can be sooo random and you never know what you'll get on any pitch or any play -- but you can begin to see effort, focus, and passion. Seeing the 9/10's play brought back memories of back in the day when Kate, McKenna, Lyndsi, Jenna, Megan, Courtney, and Erin burst onto the State scene as 9/10s and served notice of what was to come. They didn't win it all that year, but they set their minds on winning championships -- and translated their love of the game and that shared commitment into the State title and a winning record in Eastern Regionals in Deleware as 11/12s; the State title and a winning record in Eastern Regionals in Syracuse as 13/14s; and two undefeated varsity Division I championships in High School. Saw similar paths by Chelsea/Celsey/Eli's Fairfield team; Dakota/Arika's Swanton team; and Caitlyn/Kayla's Fairfax team in the 11/12 stage, with all three currently eyeing Varsity championships. The possibilities are endless and with dedication, you never know ...

Here are photos of game 2 vs Georgia.