Youth team claims tournament crown

Members of the champion Mountain Home Tigers Under-10 Girls Babe Ruth Softball team include from left: back row, Coach Mike Kirby, Alexis Hiler, Meaghyn Benzie, Ryan Floyd, Tia Salle, Abby Acarregui, and Coach Todd Floyd; bottom row, Paisley Mederios, Oakleigh Kirby, Jazzi Cristobal, Miranda Reaume and Sierra Skinner. Not pictured is Brianna Floyd.

The Mountain Home Tigers 10U Girls Babe Ruth Softball team took home the championship title at the recently completed the year-end tournament at Timberline High School in Boise competing against Kuna, Boise, Nampa and Meridian teams.

It was the first year that the 10U team had ever won the tournament.

The Tiger squad won its opening game on Tuesday but lost on Wednesday by a controversial "drop-­dead" time ruling by the umpire and opposing coach and were then forced to play the rest of the double elimination tournament by going through the losers' bracket.

The Mountain Home girls won double headers on both Thursday and Friday, and then played and won both games of a double header on Saturday morning to get to the championship game.

The Tigers faced the same team they lost to earlier in the tournament and had to beat them twice to win the championship.

The Tigers won easily in the first game of the championship and then had a "miraculous comeback" in the second game with timely hitting by the entire team and great pitching by Ryan Floyd, Jazzi Cristobal and Alexis Hiler.