Hancock nine-strong goes deep in District 9 tourney

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Hancock nine-year-old All-Star Rontrez Johnson knocks down a ground ball at second base during Thursday's game against Port Charlotte at Donaldson Community Park. Johnson would make the play at first. CHUCK BALLARO

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Bottom row, from left, Taylor Hawkins, Ryan Adams, Tawan Carter, Blake Busbee and Caden Oxnam. Middle row, Rontrez Johnson, Kenny Mercedes, Jake Mueller, Jake Benbenisty and Garry Kamphouse. Top row: coaches CHUCK BALLARO

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Hancock nine-year-old All-Star Jake Mueller delivers a pitch during Thursday's game against Port Charlotte at Donaldson Community Park. CHUCK BALLARO

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Hancock nine-year-old All-Star Jake Mueller drives the ball for a double during Thursday's game. CHUCK BALLARO

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Hancock nine-year-old All-Star Garry Kamphouse takes a cut during Thursday's game against Port Charlotte at Donaldson Community Park. Hancock rallied to win 5-4. CHUCK BALLARO

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The theme of the Hancock nine-year-old All-Star team in the District 9 tournament has been to finish strong.

It has been that mantra that has put them on the brink of a district championship, winning three games and forcing a district powerhouse to fight for its life.

It began on Thursday night in the opener against Port Charlotte as it fell behind 2-0 and 4-2, and was losing 4-3 in the sixth before storming back with a walk-off 5-4 win.

Kenny Mercedes started with a one-out single just off the first baseman’s glove. After Ryan Adams walked, ninth-place hitter Caden Oxnam singled home the tying run before Adams scored on a wild pitch for the winning run.

“We didn’t play our best defense, but we stuck with it and came back,” Hancock coach Chip Busbee said. “Jake Benbenisty came in relief and threw strikes and we pulled it out.”

The following night at South Fort Myers, Hancock trailed 9-6 in the sixth before scoring the runs to tie the game and force extras.

South made it 12-9 in the seventh, but Hancock made it interesting scoring a run and putting the tying run on base before a strikeout finally ended it.

Jake Mueller had two hits and Adams pitched well in relief to help Hancock get back into it.

That put Hancock’s nine-strong in the loser’s bracket against Buckingham on Saturday morning, and got a great pitching performance from Oxnam as it held off Buckingham 9-5 to eliminate them.

Trailing 1-0 after two innings, Hancock scored four in the third and three more in the fourth to account for all the scoring. Mueller and Mercedes hit well and Blake Busbee executed a suicide squeeze to bring him a big run.

That meant a return game against Port Charlotte, where it led 8-2 after three innings before a two-hour rain delay halted things.

Port Charlotte came back after the break, scoring five in the fifth to cut the lead to 8-7. But Garry Kamphouse and Rontrez Johnson got big hits in the bottom of the fifth to give Hancock much needed insurance as it held for a 10-8 win.

“We had some walks and errors that got Port Charlotte back into it, but we got refocused and held on,” Busbee said.

Hancock played in the loser’s bracket finals against Cape National on Monday. A win would get them into the finals against unbeaten South Fort Myers, with Hancock having to beat them twice to win the championship.

At press time, that game had not been played.