LAKEVILLE — The Free-Lake 10U All Star baseball team recently returned from the Cal Ripken Baseball World Series — where the best youth baseball teams worldwide compete at one of the highest levels in the sport.

This year, the world series was held in Indiana, where the team played eight games against both U.S. and international teams. This year’s world series was the second the Free-Lake team has competed in, where the team once again played through challenging opponents and close games.

Free-Lake placed second in the “Iron Man Bracket”, after daily games with five U.S. teams and international teams from Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. The bracket is a secondary competition for teams that did not qualify for the world series championship.

Team Manager Eddy Rasar said this year’s world series run saw tougher competition and more teams compared to the last time they competed in the series as an 8U team in 2023.

“This field had 24 teams, which is a huge field,” said Rasar. “This field was more than double, but it was a good performance. It was really hot, and to play that many games — it's tough for pitching — but they did great.”

The annual world series was held in Vincennes, Indiana from Aug. 7 to Aug. 16. Rasar said the average temperature on the field was about 95 degrees throughout the week.

On the first day of the competition, the team played the Indiana All Stars team — who hadn’t been shut out all season until the Free-Lake All Stars won with a shutout 2 - 0 game. Free-Lake player Tyrus Araujo “pitched great,” Rasar said, which earned Tyrus the player of the game recognition.

Rasar said the average pitching in the world series is about 66 miles per hour, and although Indiana’s pitcher put up a tough game, the win got the team “off on a good foot,” Rasar said.

During their third game against the team from Mexico, a tough back-and-forth match stretched the game into extra innings. Rasar said that before games like these — when the opponents’ team is made up of a country-wide roster — a mix of confidence and nervous excitement fills the dugout.

“That was probably the most exciting game we had,” Rasar said.

He added it was a close game that had “huge crowds” and it lasted three hours until Mexico clenched the win in the seventh inning. Free-Lake player Brady DeTerra was the player of the game after pitching well and making two hits.

After two losses in their third and fourth games against teams from Idaho and New York, Free-Lake still did enough to qualify for the Iron Man Bracket, which put them up against teams from the Philippines and Puerto Rico.

Against the Philippines, Free-Lake player Raleigh Lewis had three hits and four RBIs, which earned him player of the game. Tyrus Araujo pitched four innings with nine strikeouts and received player of the game against Puerto Rico.

“A lot of kids did really well in the Philippines game. After that game, the kids were really feeling confident and proud,” Rasar said.

By the end of their week, the team placed second in the Iron Man Bracket.

Standout performances included Brady DeTerra who had the most “put-outs” — the statistic for how many times a defensive player completed an “out” — of all players in the World Series with 45. Cay Rasar, Rasar’s son, finished with a .550 batting average, making it the tenth best among all World Series players.

“To play eight games in eight days, and to face some really good competition, I think it was really good how we did,” Rasar said.

When they weren’t on the field, team members and their families explored the local points of interest and exchanged jerseys and pins with international players. The opening day ceremonies when players and coaches met other teams from around the globe was another highlight of the trip.

Rasar said he expects most of the team to try-out for the All Stars team next year, and looks forward to qualifying for the next world series. Now their season is wrapped up, he said the team can find pride in their accomplishments.

“They can walk around with their heads held high. They showed that they were part of a team that had to work together and work hard to get to where they were,” Rasar said.