Coach Stacey Strickland’s Bearcat Cubs baseball team finished a strong second Friday and Saturday at the 10-year-old and under Elite Tournament World Series in Valdosta, Ga.

They had earlier finished a strong second while representing the Bainbridge Leisure Services Department at the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA) District 3 Tournament in Thomasville, Ga.

They will conclude their season this Friday and Saturday, when they compete in a 12-team field at the Best of the Best Tournament in Hazelhurst, Ga.

In Saturday’s World Series championship game in Valdosta, they dropped a heartbreaking 14-13 decision to the South Georgia Renegades, whose roster included players from Valdosta, Thomasville, Adel and Moultrie.

Trailing 14-10 going into the bottom of the sixth and final inning, Bainbridge’s Will Kelley blasted a three-run home run over the left center field fence to pull the Cubs to within a run.

Kelley and teammate Conner Strickland were both three for four in the championship game. The Cubs went into the World Series championship round as the top seed after winning three straight, including two over the Renegades, in Friday’s pool round play.

The Renegades edged them 8-6 in Saturday’s opener to force the championship game. Leading hitters for the Cubs in the game were Will Kelley, who was two for three with a home run, Conner Strickland, who was two for three, Mark Loeffler, who was two for four, and Hudson Givens who was two for three with a double.

The Cubs opened pool play on Friday by shellacking the eventual champion South Georgia Renegades 13-2. They were led by Mark Loeffler, who was three for four with double, T.J, Andrews, who was two for four with two doubles, and Conner Strickland, who was three for three.

They followed that game up with a 16-4 victory over the Renegades. Will Kelley went two for three with a two-run homer and a three-run homer, Conner Strickland went two for three with a two-run homer, and Hank Holt banged out three singles and Dustin Hodge went two for three with a two-run homer.

In their final pool play round game, the Cubs defeated the Southern Georgia Drillers from Alma 15-6.

Blake Green went two for three with two runs batted in, Hudson Givens went two for three with three runs batted in, Conner Strickland went two for four with a home run and Will Kelley went three for four with a home run.