The Gloucester 13-15 Babe Ruth all-star youth baseball team came up short of reaching the finals in the state tournament, succumbing to Stafford in a quarterfinal matchup of the consolation bracket. Arlington, who hosted the tournament and had two teams competing, went on to claim the crown.

Gloucester enjoyed a first-round bye before a matchup with Lakeside on Friday at Tucker Field in Arlington’s Barcroft Park. The game featured plenty of offense but the hometown nine were able to outlast Lakeside and win by the score of 10-5. Unfortunately for Gloucester, their second game would prove to be their first strike in the double-elimination tournament.

South Hill shut down the Gloucester bats, winning 8-2, and sending them to the consolation bracket. Gloucester would still have a chance to reach the final; however, they needed to win every remaining game in the bottom bracket and defeat the surviving team from the winner’s bracket twice.

The potential title run got off to a...