Six Ceres Youth Baseball teams reached the finals of their home tournament.

The 45th Annual George Costa Invitational was staged, June 26 to July 3.

"We raised a lot of money for next year," said Antone Lopez, tournament director and head coach of the Ceres Blaze 10-year-old travel baseball team. "We got rave reviews on how the ball park looks. It was a great success."

13-14s
The Ceres Blaze shut out the Ceres Red All-Stars 10-0 in the championship game on July 3 at the George Costa Ball Field Complex.

The Blaze won all six of their games.

The Red All-Stars compiled a 3-3 record.

"It's always nice to win at home," said Blaze head coach Mike Vivo, whose team had an 81-11 scoring advantage during the tournament. "I actually played against George Costa's all-star team when I was a kid. I have good memories."

11-12s
The Ceres Blaze 11-year-old team compiled a 5-2 record on its way to a runner-up finish.

The Bel Passi All-Stars topped the Blaze 12-4 for the title.

The Ceres Red All-Stars (3-2) lost in the semifinals.

"We did great," Blaze head coach Gabriel Cordova said. "Most of the teams we played had older boys. It's a little daunting when you see a couple kids that are taller than the coaches."

9-10s
The Ceres Blaze 10-year-old squad finished first with an unblemished 6-0 mark.

The Blaze 10s defeated the Ceres Blaze 9-year-old team 12-2 in the finals.

The Blaze 9s posted a 4-2 record.

The Ceres Red 10-and-under All-Stars (4-2) reached the semi-final round of the tournament.

The Ceres Black 10-and-under All-Stars won two of their five games.

"My group of kids have never won the Costa tournament," Lopez said. "We didn't play in it last year. We took second both years (in the 7-8-year-old division) to Bel Passi."

7-8s
The Ceres Black 8-and-under All-Stars had to settle for runner-up honors after losing 10-0 to the Oakdale All-Stars.

"We performed really well," Black head coach Gerardo Hernandez said. "We played some tough teams."

The Black All-Stars amassed a 3-3 overall record.

"I know what type of team we have," Hernandez said. "It was just a matter if they meshed together. And they did."

The Ceres Red 8-and-under All-Stars (3-3) did not place.

A total of 25 teams competed in the 2015 Costa tourney.

"We had six teams in the finals and two win championships," said Lopez, while talking about Ceres' overall showing at its home tournament. "It was a big improvement from last year."

Lopez will coach the Blaze 11s in 2015-16. Tryouts will be held on Aug. 16. For more information, contact Antone at 380-5039.