The Slidell Titans, a 10-year old Slidell Bantam Baseball Association team, came back from being down 7-1 to capture the United States Specialty Sports Association All-Star State Tournament with a 12-11 victory over the Livingston Parish Recreation Tigers. Max Meeker’s RBI groundout in the bottom of the sixth inning pushed the Titans over the top.

With the score tied 11-11 in the sixth. Meeker came up with a runner on third and one out. He hit a groundball to shortstop. The throw went to first and Justin Redler went home with the game-winning run.

Meeker said he was trying to hit a flyball to the outfield, a base hit or a ground ball.

Pictured are the 10-year old Slidell Titans of the Slidell Batam Baseball Association, who came back from a 7-1 deficit to capture a state title last Sunday at SBBA. From left first row: Reggie Knight, Brock Bozant, Tyler Blakeman, Leevance Williams, Luke Toups and bat boy Jacob Blakeman; second row: Connor Miller, Colin Vivien, Maxwell Meeker, Stuart Montgomery, Kevin Tyler and Justin Redler; third row: Bryan Miller, Stuart Montgomery, Dan Meeker and Michael Blakeman.

The game took place last Sunday at SBBA. The games were on a one hour and 30 minute time limit or six innings. In the finals, the games were six innings with no time limit. Fourteen teams took part in the 10-year old age group.

Trailing 7-1 after the second inning of the finals, the Titans (15-2 overall) began to make a comeback.

In the bottom of the third, Slidell, who went 5-0 last weekend, scored five runs to get back in it. Justin Redler and Colin Vivien led off with singles. After the first out, Leevance Williams walked to load the bases and Connor Miller produced an RBI walk to make it 7-2. Then Reggie Knight cleared the bases with a three-run double, trimming the lead to 7-5. Stuart Montgomery then posted an RBI single and the Titans trailed by only one.

But the Tigers added three more in the fourth to make it 10-6.

Slidell responded with four runs in the bottom of the frame to knot the score at 10-10.

Luke Toups and Kevin Tyler walked to begin the inning and then Brock Bozant got an RBI and Redler hit consecutive RBI singles to make it 10-8. Vivien then registered a run-scoring groundout and Meeker tied the game with an RBI at 10-10 after four innings.

The Titans took their first lead at 11-10 in the fifth when Knight singled and eventually got to third, before scoring on Kevin Tyler’s RBI groundout.

In the bottom of the sixth, Vivien singled and Redler pinch ran for him.

He stole second and third before Meeker drove him in with the game-winning run.

Meeker, who plays catcher, pitcher, third base, shortstop and second base said it was fun in the end.

“Everybody was giving me high fives and stuff. They were just really happy,” Meeker said.

Titans’ coach Mike Blakeman said he was proud of his team’s performance.

“The thing I’m most proud about is that they’ve taken what we taught them in the first three tournaments,” Blakeman said. “When the game was on the line, we pulled off some double plays. The will be something they’ll remember for the rest of their lives. Nobody can take this away from them.”

Blakeman added that when the team was down 7-1, nobody hung their heads.

“They still had smiles on their faces and were confident we could pull it off,” Blakeman said.

Slidell opened the tournament by defeating East Ouachita 7-1 in the first round of pool play Saturday.

In the second game Saturday, the Titans pulled off an 8-2 victory over Church Point.

That got them a No. 1 seed and a first-round bye for bracket play.

In the first round of bracket play, Slidell defeated Terrebonne 12-2.

Then they topped East Ouachita 16-2, which put the Titans in the finals where they beat LPR 12-11.