At first, he was just happy that his team - the Triangle South All-Stars - had qualified for the event after winning the Eastern N.C. tournament.

But a few days removed from losing by one run in an extra-inning game that would've sent the winner to the Babe Ruth World Series, Morton couldn't hide his anguish.

"To be so close, it really hurts," said Morton, whose team lost 2-1 in eight innings on Monday in the title game.

Triangle South fell to five-time World Series champions from Alabama, the Mobile Rawdogs - which hadn't lost since 2009.

"It just goes to show that if we were to make the World Series, we would've been able to compete there just as well," Morton said. "So that's what makes it tough too - knowing that if we had won this one the World Series would've been fun for us."

Morton coached the Cary Babe Ruth team - which is in its second year of existence - during the regular season.

Because Cary won the league championship, Morton was named coach of the Triangle South All-Stars, and could hand-pick his team.

With the exception of one player from South Granville, he kept his Cary team intact.

The strategy was unorthodox from how other coaches have picked the team in recent years.

But it paid off.

Between Morton's nearly-identical Cary and Triangle South teams, their overall record was 23-1, outscoring the competition 239-38.

"I don't think it was as big of a deal as the other two teams were thinking," Morton said. "It was a great reward for our guys ... They proved they were worthy of being there."

Triangle South went 4-0 in pool play before clinching a spot in the four-team single-elimination bracket.

Tyler Kenney picked up two wins in the regional, including a semifinal win against the Western N.C. champ that served as an unofficial state championship game.

Jimmy Boyd picked up another win in the regional as did Nathan Harris.

Corey Walker had two saves, and four of the team's pitchers combined on a no-hitter in the last pool play game.

Tony Ayala Sanchez, Jordan Powell and Charlie Parsons were the team's top hitters in the regional.

Morton said that in Alabama, Babe Ruth league baseball is what the state's best players play in the summer - whereas that honor goes to Legion baseball in North Carolina.

The second-place finish, may not be what Morton and his players wanted.

But he was encouraged by how his team, with 17 players from just a few western Wake towns, was able to compete against other teams from around the Southeast.

"It really goes to show the talent in the area," he said.