“We told them to expect strong competition in this tournament and not to give up. They gave this game their best shot even though they had played six innings earlier in the day. It was really hot out there but they took it like real champions.”

While Hartselle’s two all-star teams failed to make it to the tournament finals, the players, tournament officials, Parks & Recreation staff, elected officials and the community as a whole all came away as winners.

Here are some of the comments visitors made on the final day of the five -day tourney”

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“Our stay here has been great,” said Albert and Jennifer Stobbe of West Seminole, Fla. “The people are very hospitable; they made us feel at home.”

“This is a wonderful experience for us,” said Steve Wasula, another Floridian. “It was a really nice tournament.”

“It’s been great, second to none,” said Greg Lee of Dothan, “and we were very fortunate to have Mayor Tankersley and his wife Jenny as our team host and hostess.”