NABA Nationals end season on high note

The North Alabama Baseball Academy 10-U Nationals finished as runners-up at the Baseball Players Association World Series in Ooltewah, Tennessee.

The Nationals are made up of players DeKalb, Jackson and Marshall counties.

The team had two pool play games to start the tournament. The Nationals dominated in both matchups earning 15-3 and 9-5 wins.

They advanced to double-elimination tournament play from there. The Nationals stayed hot on Friday. They won their opening round matchup with Thunder Baseball 14-4 and beat Heat Baseball 11-3 to advance to the tournament semifinals.

The Nationals won their fifth-straight game the next day in the semifinals against Exposure Silver 9-4. The win put them in the best position to win the tournament. The Nationals needed one win Sunday in two games against the Tennessee Tigers to become tournament champions.

The Tigers pounced early and often in Game 1. They scored multiple runs in all but one inning on their way to a 15-2 thrashing of the Nationals.

The loss led to a one game showdown between the teams later that day.

The Tigers kept pounding away early in the final game. After three innings, they jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the Nationals.

In the final inning the Nationals nearly mounted a comeback. They scored three runs and fell one run shy of sending the game to extras.

This was the second runner-up finish for the Nationals. They won the Baseball Players Association Alabama State Tournament and the USSSA Memorial Day Classic earlier this year. They also finished as runner-up in Scottsboro’s Grand Slam Classic in May.

The Nationals finished their season with a 29-18 record.