Monroe Strokers win USSSA state championship

Posted June 16th, 2010

Matthew Weems and Austin Salsbury, both of Richland Parish, are members of the Monroe Strokers 10AA USSSA travel team located in Monroe.

The Strokers traveled to Pineville at the Ward 9 Sports Complex to compete in the Louisiana State Championship on Friday.

In pool play Friday, Matthew Weems pitched 2 innings in a decisive 23-4 win over the Marksville Muskrats.

The Shreveport Outlaws were the next victim for the Strokers in a 14-2 win. That victory gave the Strokers the #1 seed in the tournament entering into elimination play.

The elimination bracket started with the Strokers playing the Ruston Red Sox which had beaten the Strokers three times earlier in the season.

Matthew Weems pitched a complete game winning 16-1. This win sent the Strokers into the Championship game against the St. Bernard Diamondbacks.

Drake Jolley pitched a complete game with Weems and Salsbury getting key hits in the second inning to break open a tight 4-2 game with 5 runs to give the Strokers a 9-2 win and the state championship.

Whit Buffington led the hitting attack with a grand slam home run on Friday night.

It was a total team effort with the Strokers scoring a total of 62 runs and only allowing 9 for the tournament.

Congratulations to the Strokers for winning the 2010 10 AA USSSA state championship.