GALLERY: Windermere Little League tops Dr. Phillips to win 12U district title

WINTER GARDEN It only stood to reason that the bats for Windermere Little League's National 12U All-Star team would come alive eventually.

After scoring a combined 45 runs through the first four games of the Florida District 14 Majors (12U) All-Star tournament, Windermere - National had been limited to just two runs through the first four innings of the champions game against Dr. Phillips July 7.

Once the fifth inning came around, though, the bats awoke for Windermere, and a 2-1 lead ballooned into a 14-1 tally that would become the final score.

"This team has got really, really good bats," said Brian Paulsen, the head coach for Windermere - National.  "We saw the pitcher for, I think, the third time coming through the lineup at that point and they kind of made the adjustments they needed to make."

Windermere scored seven runs in the top of the fifth inning and five additional runs to seal the deal in the top of the sixth inning. Wyatt Archer and James "Papi" Rivera each homered and Will Ross earned  the victory on the mound.

Now, Windermere's National team will advance to the Section 5 Tournament which will be hosted by Lake Mary Little League July 15-17. The winner of that tournament advances to the state tournament.

After a dominant showing in the district tournament, the boys from Windermere are optimistic there are plenty more baseball games in their future.

"We played shorthanded in this tournament," Paulsen said. "The team really stepped up. Overall, we had a really, really nice tournament and played with a lot of sportsmanship. They represented Windermere Little League really well."

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].