Youth Sports Report:

Palma Ceia Junior Baseball wins Southeast region, headed for World Series

Posted Aug 9, 2011 by Jarrett Guthrie

Updated Aug 9, 2011 at 11:15 PM

Palma Ceia Little League Junior Baseball team won the Southeast Region, defeating Elkton Community, Va., 6-4, Tuesday evening in Greenville, S.C.

Palma Ceia defeated Virginia during pool play over the weekend and according to coach Jorge Ramirez, Florida’s opponent Tuesday night came ready to play.

“We had beaten Virginia once already and they came out tonight like a bunch of hornets and put up three runs in the top of the first,” Ramirez said. “I told our boys to have faith and to trust each other and that’s what they did. They played an absolutely outstanding game the rest of the way.”

Trailing 2-0, Palma Ceia got two runs back in the bottom of the first inning and took advantage in the second with a two-run homer from Ronnie Ramirez. The team added a run each in the fifth and sixth. Virginia tried to rally back, plating one more and had two runners on in the top of the seventh before a 4-6-3 double play sealed Palma Ceia’s win.

Palma Ceia earns a spot in the Junior League Baseball World Series in Taylor, Mich., Aug. 14-20. The team will now look to the community for support as it makes its second out-of-state trip this week. Palma Ceia/West Tampa also sends its junior softball team to the World Series in Kirkland, Wash. this weekend. For more information on how to help support these teams go to http://www.PCLL.org.

And be sure to follow postgame updates here at TBO.com’s Youth Sports Report this weekend.