Tournament Champions Team Maroon celebrates with a water shower on head coach Rick Bartek
Wednesday night concluded the season for the Henderson boys’ baseball and girls’ softball teams in tournament play. The Henderson Maroon team won big 6-2 against the Henderson Green team in the championship game played in Giltner. Henderson Maroon finished the season with a final record of 12-1.
Team Maroon had only one loss this season to Giltner and outscored their opponents 103 to 25. “This year’s team had great cohesion and prioritized encouraging each other while having fun and working hard. I couldn’t be more proud of the boys on this team and their effort. I’m also thankful for the other coaches and the roles they played, making it a special season,” said Coach Rick Barek.
The Henderson Green team finished the season with a final record of 8-6. “I thought we had a really good season this year with every kid showing up excited and ready to play each game. Even though we came in second, it was a successful and exciting season, and I’m proud of every kid,” said Coach Hunter Perez.
The Henderson Navy girls’ softball team played in the championship game in Henderson and lost a close one, 6-8, against the Aurora Red team. They took second place overall with their loss and finished the season with a 7-6 record. “We ended up losing by 6-8 in the bottom of the 5th inning. It was a tough loss, but the girls fought hard. Ending with a loss is hard, but it was awesome that they even had the chance for first place,” said Coach Casey Burgess.
Henderson Navy Team with their 2nd place tournament award – photo courtesy Cody Farrall
In the consolation game, the Henderson Pink softball team won against Phillips in a very close game. They won 9-8, placing third overall in the tournament. “We were down all game but came back in the last inning with some awesome hits!” said Coach Maddie Maltsberger. They finished the season with an impressive 12-1 record. Their only loss was to the Henderson Navy team in the tournament semifinals, and it was the third time they faced off during the season but didn’t come out with the win. “Even though we lost an important game, we went into the consolation game with our word of the day, “optimism” and persevered through the game to take third. I couldn’t be prouder of them!” said Coach Maltsberger.
Henderson Pink after winning the consolation game with their 3rd place tournament award – photo courtesy Deb Mierau
Congratulations to the Henderson Recreation League teams and the many volunteers who coached them through the season. The City of Henderson did a great job maintaining the fields, and the Henderson Recreation Department members worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make it all happen. It took many volunteers to keep the concession stand up and running, serving top-notch food and drinks for the many home games.
