July 22 - 27, 2004
Legendary Mitch Stadium
Ceredo-Kenova Little League

2004 Little League 9-10 Year-Old
West Virginia State Tournament

Meet the 8 teams that participated in the
2004 West Virginia 9-10 State Tournament

District 1 East - Barboursville Little League
District 1 West - Buffalo-Lavalette Little League
District 2 - Holden Little League
District 3 - Charleston Central Little League
District 4 - Princeton Little League
District 5 - Bridgeport Little League
District 6 - Martinsburg Little League
District 8 - Braxton County Little League
 

     In 1996, the first-ever West Virginia Little League 9-10 Year-Old State Tournament was held at Ceredo-Kenova's Mitch Stadium.  In 2004, the state tournament returned to its birthplace as eight of the top 9-10 Year-Old teams from around the state met at the new-look Legendary Mitch Stadium.

     Activities began Thursday evening when participants were introduced to former Houston Astros outfielder Jeff Baldwin and Minor League pitchers Terry Adkins and JD McKinney who gave the players a welcome and put on a brief clinic on the field.  A twenty-entry parade showcased the teams through the streets of Ceredo and Kenova, ending at Dreamland Pool.  There, the players, coaches, and fans were treated to a free Welcome Cookout, given tournament gifts and prizes, and relaxed in and around the pool.

     Action began with a bang early Friday afternoon, as the first home run of the tournament was hit in the very first half inning of play as Holden an Braxton County exploded for a combined 28 runs on 25 hits.  Individual defensive efforts highlighted the rest of the play on Day 1, as there were several "Mitch Magic Moments" in early Pool Round Action.

     For the second consecutive year, MSPN (Mitch Stadium Production Network) captured every pitch on closed circuit television.  A four-camera system captured the action as a play-by-play and color commentator called the action for all 15 state tournament games.  Each game was shown live under the big tent on a 60-inch big screen television, while the previous game - called an MSPN Instant Classic - was shown on a second 60-inch television so players could stick around and watch their recently completed game.

     Tournament ceremonies were conducted Saturday morning, as all teams were officially introduced and presented with their souvenir State Tournament bats by the C-K 8-Year-Old District Champions.  Fifteen-year-old John Wolfe stunned the crowd with an outstanding live rendition of the National Anthem, and C-K Sports legend Dick Griffith threw out the opening pitch.

     While individual efforts highlighted pool round play, team efforts took center stage in the semifinals and finals.  In the first semifinal, Princeton played a solid all-around game, controlling the game for the first five-innings and became the first team to ever take a lead over Bridgeport.  The champions from District 5 held their composure and had an impressive rally in the bottom of the sixth to take the 4-3 victory.  In the second semi-final, Holden surprised many with what was arguably the best all-around team performance in the state tournament, knocking off an aggressive and fundamentally solid Charleston Central team, 9-5.

     The State Championship game was a rematch of an early pool round game between Holden and Bridgeport in which Holden committed seven errors and allowed 9 runs - all unearned.  The Championship Game followed a similar script.  After scoring a run in the top of the first, Holden's defense collapsed in the bottom of the first, giving up 11 runs thanks to 6 errors.  Bridgeport - the runner-up in the first ever 9-10 State Tournament held at Mitch Stadium - finished it off this time by claiming the state championship in convincing manner, 14-2.