Dream Run Ends as Fairhaven Acushnet Loses at Cal Ripken World Series

The dream run has come to an end for the Fairhaven Acushnet 12U All-Star team.

As you've probably heard, the team has spent the past week competing at the very highest level of baseball in the world for their age group.  The boys were battling it out in the Cal Ripken Major 70 World Series in Branson, Missouri.

Many moments were surreal for the team. From walking into the first-class clubhouse to the painfully manicured field that rivals the turf at Fenway Park, everything is professional-grade.

Head Coach Butch Boucher called into Michael and Maddie this morning to give the SouthCoast an update on how the team has been doing.

"We lost the first two games, with the first game really being a heartbreaker," he said. "We only gave up one run, but just couldn't get the bats going. The kids put a little too much pressure on themselves, but they competed and that's what we wanted to do."

Tuesday's game against the Missouri state champions was a different story.  Fairhaven Acushnet, or as they are known in the tournament, New England, won the game 5-1.  Fairhaven's Dorian Fortes rose to the occasion on the televised game, striking out a whopping 14 batters. There are only six innings at this level, so Fortes struck out 14 of 18 batters. Fortes also showed off his batting skills earlier in the week, placing fourth in the Home Run Derby.

Sadly, Fairhaven Acushnet lost 8-0 Wednesday morning against Mineral Area, Missouri, their third loss of the tournament, ending their dream run.

Boucher said the team had the chance to compete in the tournament of a lifetime, one that most young ball players never get a chance to experience.

They will head home to Pope Park as some of the best youth baseball players in the history of the SouthCoast.

One can only imagine what the Fairhaven High School baseball team will look like in three to four years.