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Oakdale Native Sees Baseball Homecoming
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Normal 0 0 1 25 143 oakdale leader 1 1 175 11.1287 0 0 0 Oakdale native Alyssa Freeman fires in a pitch for the West Boise Sharks during baseball tournament action at Rainbow Fields in Riverbank on Saturday. - photo by IKE DODSON/THE LEADER

Alyssa Freeman, a 12-year-old Oakdale native and Boise, Idaho baseball star, delivered a thrilling homecoming performance in travel tournament action at Rainbow Fields in Riverbank over the weekend.

Competing with all boys, Freeman tossed two sterling games from the mound and went 5-for-6 from the plate as the West Boise Sharks enjoyed a weekend of action just a few miles from Freeman’s old cowboy stomping grounds.

Alyssa, the daughter of Oakdale High graduates Shawn Freeman and Christy Rose (now Freeman), moved with her five brothers and sisters to Idaho seven years ago.

Since then, her exploits on the baseball diamond have gained notoriety as she strikes out opposing hitters and belts big base hits in competitive youth baseball action.

“She is probably one of the strongest hitters in our area,” Shawn Freeman, coach of the West Boise Sharks said. “She has come along pretty good and been pretty modest about the publicity she has received.”

The lanky right-hander downed 16 hitters via strikeouts during two games of work at Rainbow Fields on Saturday and Sunday. She struck out five hitters in the first two innings of work Saturday, delivering pitches to her younger brother and team catcher, Crue Freeman.

“The reason we came down here to play is our whole family lives there,” Christy Freeman said. “We wanted our family in Oakdale to have an opportunity to watch the kids play.”

The Freemans stayed with Shawn’s mother and local mail carrier, Donna Leymaster, and spent time with Christy’s father, Gordon Rose, as well as her sister and brother in-law, Stacey and Dave Beason.

Alyssa will be a seventh grader at Lowell Middle School this year, but has already made steps to competing on a boys high school team in 2012. According to the Freemans, the baseball coach at Capital High in Boise has already ensured the legality of a girl playing prep baseball in Idaho, and is excited to welcome her to the program.

“Basically, as long as she can compete with boys she can still play,” Shawn Freeman said. “She has been involved in baseball with her brothers since I can remember, and she wants to play.”

The family will travel back to the area soon for an under-14 travel tournament at Big League Dreams in Manteca. The tourney runs Aug. 13 to 15.

Alyssa also plays quarterback for a youth football program in Boise, though she will give up the sport to continue her involvement with baseball in the near future.