7th Inning Stretch: Red Sox Ride Preseason Hype to Perfect Season
The 7th Inning Stretch is a reality sports column published by the Ranger Reporter. Each season the column follows a little league team from the first pitch to the last. The award-winning news outlet, hearing the buzz surrounding this year’s Bulverde Little League Red Sox. With local attention surrounding the Bulverde Red Sox (Majors division) last year, we could not ignore the notion that we were dealing with something special. We decided to journal the Red Sox for their 2026 season in the event that hype matched reality.
The Red Sox did not disappoint. They just did something that usually only happens in video games with the difficulty turned down to "Easy." After a spring training filled with cautious optimism and a few "maybe this is our year" whispers, the Bulverde Little League Red Sox (Majors Division) didn't just meet expectations – they bulldozed them, capping a perfect 12-0 regular season with 3 thrilling wins in the playoffs to capture the undisputed title of Champions (Majors Division).
In February, the preseason hype was largely centered around the fact that everyone on the roster could identify the name of each position without any hints. Coach Owens’ "preseason prediction" of a winning record was initially viewed by the league’s parents as a bold marketing ploy to get more participation at practices, which mostly worked.
However, by game three, it was clear this wasn't your run-of-the-mill little league squad. While other teams were busy trying to figure out if they had time between games to get a Kona Ice, the Red Sox were busy turning double plays (or at least remembering to throw the ball to the person standing on the base).
The season wasn't without its "Little League" moments, of course. There was the "Royal Rumble" of March 26th, where the entire team took a nap between Game 1 and Game 2 of the doubleheader, nearly costing the team their streak. Luckily, aggressive baserunning from Baron “Snuggles” Williams and Landen “The Flash” Cobb were enough to give the Red Sox a one-run victory over the Royals of Barnhard.
Key highlights of the perfect run included:
The "Mercy Rule" Masterpiece: A game where the Red Sox scored 18 runs because the pitcher was more interested in his new Velcro gloves than the strike zone.
The Great Dropped Third Strike of ‘26: RJ "Crescent" Luna struck out, catcher dropped the pitch, Luna yelled “on your mark, get set, go!”, confused the catcher, and Luna turned an out into an inside-the-park home run. “Technically, I struck out. Practically, I’m a hero” Luna said upon his return to the dugout.
The Unconventional Cotton Game: Snuggles Williams turned in one of the gutsiest, bloodiest performances ever witnessed in Bulverde Little League history. After pitching four great innings, Snuggles took a high heater to the kisser that would have hospitalized most men. With blood pouring out of his nose and teeth stowed away in his pocket for a nice payday from the tooth fairy, Williams, not wanting to let his team down, said “hand me some of those Kotex gauze pads” went back out for the 5th inning to close out the game.
As the final out was recorded in the championship game – a routine pop fly that was actually caught on the first attempt – the celebration was exactly what you’d expect from a group of undefeated titans. There were gloves and hats thrown around the field, followed by an uncoordinated sprint in a circle and an attempt at a dogpile. The Red Sox coaching staff taking in the moment with a warm embrace.
The perfect season will be commemorated with a trophy that is roughly made up of 90% plastic and 10% memories that will last a lifetime. A final Little League season that will literally be forever etched in some form of cheap marble knockoff.
The preseason hype was real, the execution was (mostly) flawless, and for one glorious spring, the Red Sox were untouchable. Some of the boys will continue their baseball career into high school. For some, this is the last time they will step into a batter’s box. But for now, they are all considered undefeated kings of the diamond.