ST. LOUIS -- Playing on a Major League baseball diamond is an opportunity many kids never have a chance to experience. For most of the 24 youth baseball and softball players that reached the team championships round of the Scotts Pitch, Hit and Run competition, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, but for a couple, it was a return to Busch Stadium.
The home of the St. Louis Cardinals hosted the 22nd annual Scotts Pitch, Hit and Run team championships round Saturday morning. Out of 650,000 participants, 720 made it this far, so to reach the team championships round was an impressive feat for everyone.
"It's great to get these kids out here and allow them to do what they love to do," Scotts Pitch, Hit and Run account manager Kabir Faiz said. "We had some great scores today, some high scores that could definitely be in contention for the national finals. We also had a pair of siblings take first place."
Andrew Miller was the most vocal parent in the crowd. He cheered for every kid that competed in the three events, running from second base to home, hitting off a tee, and pitching to the strike zone. When his two daughters, Jaylynn Miller and Myla Miller, had their turns he was relentless in his moral support.
It's been amazing," Miller said. "This is our seventh year doing it."
Jaylynn received first place in the 11-12 year old softball division and Myla received first place in the 7-8 year old softball division.
Jaylynn has been competing in the event for for seven years.
"She missed last year, but made it her fourth time this year," Miller said. "She's come up second, third and third."
This is Myla's first year competing, but she's had her eyes set on it for a while now. She watched Jaylynn compete in past years and decided, when she was finally old enough, she wanted to do it too.
And on Saturday, the two took the top spot in their divisions, which gives them a chance to be selected for the national finals during MLB All-Star week in Washington, D.C.
"It's been a godsend for me man," Miller said. "I'm just so proud of them."
Results
Softball:
Division 7-8: 1. Myla Miller (Pacific, Mo.), 2. Isabella Walk (Vandalia, Ill.), 3. Maddie Robinson (Ellsville, Mo.).
Division 9-10: 1. Charlie Bono (Mt. Olive, Ill.), 2. Raleigh Dutton (Centralia, Mo.), 3. Trinity McNutt (Vandalia, Ill.).
Division 11-12: 1. Jaylynn Miller (Pacific, Mo.), 2. Carly Foster (Fulton, Mo.), 3. Alayna Wyatt (Litchfield, Ill.).
Division 13-14: 1. Tori Scales (Riverton, Ill.), 2. Rylee Cureton (Marble Hill, Mo.) 3. Mya Wierman (Tipton, Mo.).
Baseball:
Division 7-8: 1. Clayton Dacus (St. Louis, Mo.), 2. Jonah Grove (Decatur, Ill.), 3. Cody Prater (Centralia, Mo.).
Division 9-10: 1. Liam Nord (Maryland Heights, Mo.), 2. Mason Crump (Wood River, Ill.), 3. Brock Bowman (Greenfield, Ill.).
Division 11-12: 1. Braedon Hays (Sedgewickville, Mo.), 2. Alex Siatos (Godfrey, Ill.), 3. Brayden Cisco (Spaulding, Ill.).
Division 13-14: Patrick Liddell (Williamsville, Mo.), 2. Nick Britz (Riverton, Ill.), 3. Dylan Powell (Ellisville, Mo.).