14u Championship Recap: Day 1

Jordan Posway

The PG Super25 14u National Championship is underway! Pool play started this morning, and teams aimed get off to a strong start in preparation for the championship bracket. Here’s a rundown of the events from Day one:

The East Cobb Braves handled the Zoned Redhawks in six innings. Isaac Bouton’s two-run double in the third inning catapulted the Braves past the Redhawks for good. Tyler Shultz was exceptional on the mound, allowing only two hits to the Redhawks in his team’s 9-1 win.

The EM Majors got off to a fast start against the KBC 14u Red and never looked back. Wade Elliott and Jackson Huskey drove in five of the Majors’ six runs in the first three innings. In addition to leading the team with three RBIs, Elliott held the KBC Red hitless through four innings. He forced eight strike outs in the Majors' 8-0 shutout victory. The Majors had a more difficult time against the IronPigs, but they ultimately prevailed 9-3 for their second victory of the day. They pulled away from the IronPigs with a three-run fifth inning thanks to a pair of singles by Blaze Brothers and Brandon Ulmer.

The Michigan Blue Jays-Dishman could not recover after a costly four-run fourth inning by the East Cobb Astros in an 8-0 defeat. Ryan Davis and Jack Alexander played a large role in the Astros’ offensive explosion, combining for four RBIs on three hits. However, the Astros were on the wrong side of a 3-0 shutout against HP Baseball in their second game of the day. Timely singles by HP Baseball and costly errors by the Astros in the top of the eighth provided the three runs that would decide the game. HP Baseball’s Evan Godwin was fantastic on the hill, as he surrendered only one hit in seven innings.

Charles McGill led the KBC 14u Blue to their first victory of the tournament over the Oklahoma Prospects-Ritter 4-1 in seven innings. McGill allowed three hits and one earned run in seven innings of work. Brandon Tucker and Alex Atkins provided all four runs on a couple of two-run singles in the third and sixth innings. The KBC Blue carried their momentum into their next game versus the Diamond Jacks Super 14. A three-run burst in the second inning, courtesy of Charles Braxton Cottongame and Jackson Webb, opened the scoring and powered the KBC Blue to a 4-2 win.

Both the South Florida Prospects and the Adirondack Heat-Black tacked on three runs in the first inning, but only the Prospects would keep their offense rolling. The stagnation of the Heat’s offense after the first inning was due in large part to Kurt Cohen, who pitched over five innings and allowed zero earned runs in his team’s 5-3 triumph.

A three-run fourth inning by the FTB Mizuno 14u sunk the Austin Banditos-Ford 5-2 in a close seven inning contest. Payton McIntosh and JJ Molina-Gonzalez quelled a very potent offense, limiting the Banditos to two runs on six hits. Molina-Gonzalez continued to make an impact against their next opponent, the CBC Elite. Molina-Gonzalez and Brian Garcia powered their team with five combined RBIs as the FTB Mizuno defeated the CBC Elite 8-5 for their second win of the tournament.

Chase Lummus and Brodie Lenon had quite the pitcher’s duel as the Dallas Tigers-Hernandez squared off against the Kentucky Prospects. Both sides were held scoreless until the sixth inning where Jose Gonzalez and Dillon Carter provided the only two runs of the game to give the Tigers a 2-0 win. Lummus pitched all seven innings, striking out eight and allowing zero earned runs. The Tigers’ offense rallied late in their following game versus the FBH Angels, but it was not enough as the Angels held on for the 4-3 victory. Ryan Rash exerted his will on the Tigers, tallying three of the Angels’ four RBIs.

It was the battle of the Bulls on Field 2. The Marucci Bulls wasted no time as they jumped out to a three-run lead against the Game Time Bulls in the first inning courtesy of Luke Nagy’s two-run double and Kevin Ortiz’s RBI single. The Game Time Bulls would never regain the lead due in large part to Simeon Woods’ pitching. He fanned nine hitters and allowed zero earned runs in five innings on the mound. The day did not get much better for the Game Time Bulls, as they dropped a second straight game to the Oklahoma Rawlings Prospects-Ritter 4-1. Jaden Bray and Noah Barber frustrated the Bulls’ offense for seven innings, striking out five. Braeden Grayson sparked the Prospects’ late burst with an RBI single as his team earned their first win of the tournament.

A 1-0 advantage turned into a 5-1 defeat as the GoWags RiverCats orchestrated an improbable five-run rally in the top of the seventh to stun the RI Eagles. The RiverCats’ bats came alive in the seventh inning, but a bases-loaded walk gave the RiverCats the go-ahead run and a 1-0 start to the tournament. The RI Eagles would not let their foot off the gas in their ensuing match-up against the KBC 14u Red. The Eagles’ Jack Whorf was 2-3 from the plate with two RBIs courtesy of a two-run triple in the third inning. Andrew Ruggiero earned the win as the Eagles trounced the KBC Red 10-1.

Tri-State Arsenal-Carter fired on all cylinders from the first pitch to the last pitch of their four inning contest against the Legends Prospects. Eric Grintz, Jagger Zrada, and Kellan Tulio were responsible for driving in seven of the Arsenal’s eight runs in the first two innings. Matt Orlando held the Prospects scoreless through three innings, but it was Jack O’Reilly who put the finishing touches on the team’s 12-0 victory.

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