By Nila Harris
The PENCO Dirt Dobbers baseball team recently played in the Northern Kentucky Baseball League tournament held in Boone and Kenton Counties. The nine and under team, led by coaches Todd Weinel and Blaine McClanahan, plus assistant coaches Kelsie McClanhan and Jonathon Peoples, fought hard out of a double header with eight players: two of those being younger players. Despite their strong effort, the players lost the championship game by just two runs.
Kelsie McClanahan said, “We had a great season; the kids learned a lot, and it was their first year (playing) out of the county. We got tired but made a lot of great plays.”
Amber Brewer, whose son Boden played for the Dirt Dobbers, talked about the team’s resilience this season. “They had only one practice on an actual baseball field due to rain, played all three tournament games with only eight players, and exhausted all their usual pitchers in the two tournament games before the championship. Yet, they still only lost by two runs in the last game. I’m so happy for them and their love of baseball, and I look forward to watching them grow.”