Palatine bows out of Legion tourney

With a pitching staff depleted by the rigors of the American Legion Great Lakes Regional tournament in Appleton, Wis., there wasn't much Palatine could do against Midland, Mich., on Monday.

The Blue Jays would have had to both beat Midland and then Hammond, Ind., to earn a spot in the upcoming World Series in Fargo, N.D.

Instead, Midland ended it for Palatine, coming up with a 17-6 victory. Midland scored 5 runs in the first inning and never trailed.

The Blue Jays (28-9), however, never gave up.

Trailing 10-2, they rallied with a 4-run sixth inning keyed by a 2-run double by Mike Tauchman.

But a struggling bullpen just couldn't contain Midland after that.

"We just kind of ran out of gas - a lot of times that's what it comes down to in a tournament like this," said Palatine manager Jeff Ryder. "We tried like heck to keep getting after it and see if we could grind out a win, but sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way."

It did often enough, though, to make this a most memorable season. Ryder was impressed by the way the regional tournament was run, and by how much support the team got.

"Everybody, from top to bottom, helped us so much this year," Ryder said. "We had whole families up here, the players' girlfriends ... other players had our uniforms on in the stands, cheering us on. It was a great experience for our guys.

"To come out of the Cook County tournament, you have to face some of the strongest teams you'll ever see. I thought that really prepared us for the teams we saw here."