COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – In summer league baseball, plenty of drama Monday in Coldwater as the 2015 AABC Mickey Mantle U-16 North Central Regional wrapped up at Lowe Field with Niles, Illinois winning the title with a pair of extra inning victories on Monday. The round robin tournament needed an extra day before a champion was crowned because of numerous weather delays with off and on rain since the event started on Friday morning.
In the first semifinal contest yesterday, Niles eliminated Shamrock Baseball of Battle Creek 4-3 in eight innings. Then the West Michigan Elite advanced with a 7-1 decision over the Troy Cardinals, the team that edged out the host Coldwater Redbirds Sunday to qualify for the championship round.
In the title game, Niles needed nine innings to earn their ticket to the Mickey Mantle World Series, getting past West Michigan Elite, again by a 4-3 score. The team from Illinois will head to McKinney, Texas next week for the World Series that begins on July 28, 2015.
Coldwater has been home to the Mickey Mantle North Central Regional for 46 straight years.
