By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

The Little League baseball tournament season came to an end for two Kissimmee teams last weekend.

The Kissimmee American age 10-11 All-Stars won two games and reached the semifinals at the eight-team state tournament at DeFuniak Springs before falling to Plant City in the elimination game.

“They were a little disappointed, but they did a great job. This was farther than any Kissimmee team has made it,” Manager Ron Legendre said.

Allen Leguizamon homered at the state tournament and the pitching staff of J.P. Clement, Miguel Soto, Da’Nas Pinellas, Frank Santaniello and Isaiah Rivera was solid, Legendre said.

Brett Birchler, Hamilton Martinez, Nicholas Matos, Tayquan Pinellas and Ryan Rugel all helped the Kissimmee All-Stars win District 3 and Section 5 championships to qualify for the state tournament.

Legendre said the players have gained confidence, which should help them next year.

“Going in to these tournaments we weren’t sure how they were going to play, but they actually exceeded what we expected them to do,” Legendre said.

The Kissimmee 12-year-old Majors lost a heartbreaker at the Section 5 tournament in Apopka to Windermere.

“We made four errors in the fourth inning. A ton of broken hearts,” Coach Julio Figueroa said. “It hurts when the other coaches tell you the best team is not advancing.”