Liam Iwanejko runs toward second base as Nate Gilkey takes a throw at second base during the 8U Rock the Competition Baseball Tournament last week. The event featured 12 teams from three counties, including all-star squads from Center Township, Butler Township, Seneca Valley, Moniteau and Slippery Rock. Organizers hope to make it a yearly tournament and expand it to other age groups.

SLIPPERY ROCK — It started out as a way for players in the Slippery Rock Area Baseball Association to extend their seasons.

It turned into much more.

Last week the association hosted an 8U Rock the Competition Baseball Tournament from Wednesday through Sunday.

Twelve teams from three counties participated, including teams from Center Township, Butler Township, Seneca Valley, Moniteau and, of course, Slippery Rock.

Mike Johnson and Jeff Steele organized the tournament and both were surprised at the reception.

“I’ll be honest, I was overjoyed with the amount of positive feedback we got,” Johnson said. “We heard things like it was a first-class event, they’d never seen a tournament run so well, things like that.”

At first, Steele wasn’t sure what kind of interest an 8-and-under tournament would garner.

But as word got out, the teams wanting to participate grew.

This is an article excerpt — subscribe online or in print to read more about the tournament and find out what team won.