"[We are] just gonna have to play ball like we did last tournament," Blue coach Jody Fletcher said of last week's district tourney run. "We got beat the first game, and the confidence booster was [the chance] to build back through the losers' bracket, so we [came] through the losers' bracket and every kid [gave] their heart and soul and [gave] me 110 percent.
"We played ball and that's what happened, so we got to come through this tournament and do the same thing. If we lose or win, we still got to battle. There's 16 good teams."
Fletcher noted one facet of Bartow's game will be imperative to fashion a finish like that one in district.
"The first three innings [of the first game], we didn't hit the ball. We played halfway decent [in the] infield defensively, but [we] got beat," he said. "The next three games, we scored 88 runs ... [came] out hitting the ball like we're supposed to hit the ball, running the bases, [scoring] runs, [making] plays in the field. We had kids making diving catches -- unbelievable plays.
"That right there is the biggest thing -- we got to just hit the ball. I tell my kids every year ... no matter how many errors you make, if you don't score seven runs an inning, you ain't gonna win no ball game."
Seven runs is the maximum number of runs allowed per inning -- a possible total of 42 -- in 6-U play, and it is a goal the Bartow coach pushes.
"With 16 good teams, they got defense ... and we do, too," Fletcher said. "Some games are ... good defensive games. We just got to step up and at least try to score seven runs. If we can't do that, we need at least three or four every inning."
Returning to the scene of its most recent success, the Blue may very well find the groove that propelled it at district.
"We played over there all yearlong," Fletcher said. "For this team to go back over there and play in the same field, same place, might be pretty good for us."