July 24, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Mt. Airy “Stars” have great success at baseball tourney

The Mt. Airy Stars baseball team.

The Mount Airy Baseball program’s age-level tournament teams recently completed a very successful run last week at the annual 21st Ward Commissioners Cup baseball tournament in neighboring Roxborough.  Stars teams competed in every age group from the 9-and-under to the 14-and-under divisions.  The 9-U and 11-U teams both played in the finals, losing hard-fought games to the host teams.  The 12-U, 13-U and 14-U teams all played through the semifinal rounds of competition.

The 11-U team (right) enjoyed its greatest success in two years of play.  Seeded fourth after round-robin play, the team won both the quarterfinal and semifinal games in dramatic fashion.  The boys overcame a three-run deficit to beat Whitpain 12-11, and the next night they beat the undefeated and top-ranked Plymouth Whitemarsh squad 15-14.  Semifinal game highlights included overcoming a two-run deficit in the top of the 5th by scoring five runs and holding on in the top half of the inning for a one-run victory.  Opposing players, tournament officials, friends and family all described those two victories as among the most dramatic they had ever seen.

The Stars players are selected in age-level tryouts run by the Mt. Airy baseball program.  Teams compete in two to four tournaments after completing an in-house season, which wraps up in mid-June. The Stars take their name from the Philadelphia Stars Negro League baseball team.  The teams also honor Jackie Robinson’s legacy with his uniform number, 42, emblazoned on the left sleeve of their uniforms.