It has been quite a run for head coach Jeff Lynch’s Giants at the end of their Verde Valley Little League season — one he hopes doesn’t end anytime soon.
“They’re on fire,” Lynch said of his 10-, 11- and 12-year-old Majors players after they advanced to the Tournament of Champions with a 7-6 win Monday, June 1, over the Cottonwood Rangers at Riverfront Park. “It feels great. They’ve been working hard.”
After a 12-4 road win Friday, May 29, over the previously-undefeated Camp Verde Angels, the Giants earned the opportunity to do it again Friday, June 5, in the Tournament of Champions after the playoff tiebreaker victory over the Rangers — their 12th straight.
“They’re going to be tough to beat,” retiring Angels coach Craig Reddell said. “We came out flat, they jumped on us and it just kind of snowballed from there. They’re well-coached, they’ve got good kids — you’ve got to show up to beat them, that’s for sure.”
The last loss for the Giants was April 17, a 3-1 decision to the Angels after falling April 15 to the Rangers — a pretty tough stretch, Lynch said.
“We didn’t start with the most talented group,” Lynch said. “We started out the season really strong. We won our first five games.”
For the full story and Tournament of Champions schedules, please see the Wednesday, June 3, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
