3/17/2012 10:51:40 PM
Cleats Championship Day
-The open division had a good matchup this morning with Montgomery Bell Academy (TN) and Grand Junction (CO) squaring off in the last day of the tournament.
-Grand Junction 3B/SS Sean Rubalcaba (2012) had a 14-14 streak to begin the 2012 season snapped last night but picked up where he left off this morning with another hit. The Northern Colorado QB commit is an off-base machine with a short line drive swing. He is lean and projectable with arm strength across the infield.
-CF Marcus Wirth (2012) again showed a quick bat and athleticism. He tries to drive the ball and ends up popping balls up to often, once he learns to pick his spots when he looks to drive rather than uses his ample wheels he will be a very good college #2 hitter.
-Three other Grand Junction prospects to watch are OF Brett Labonte (2012), IF Jeff Hansen (2012), and OF Kaleb Johnson (2012).
-Montgomery Bell 3B Penn Murfee (2013) again showed a quick bat with a loose finish and bat whip, he is a strong defender at the hot corner with easy arm strength.
-Will Campbell (2013) continued to hit at the top of the order, spraying the ball to both sides and showing solid speed on the bases.
-A few more MBA underclassmen to watch are Montgomery Turner (2014) and Wilson Johnson (2013). -Marcos de Niza took home the consolation championship with a win over Desert Ridge.
-MdN SS Benji Ayala (2013) has loose actions, athleticism and plenty of arm strength for SS. He plays the position with ease and flair. Once his body fills out he projects to gain foot speed and additional strength in his swing.
-Nick Fatica (2012) has consistently shown the ability to drive the ball to the gaps and run the bases with a fury. He is more polished and strong from the left side but is a legit switch hitter. He covers a lot of ground on defensive and shows a solid CF throwing arm.
-Marcos de Niza brought in Noel Rodriguez (2012) to finish the game. He has a classic pitcher’s build at 6’2 175 with long arm and lean athleticism. He showed loose arm action sitting 82-84 with his fastball,m touching 86. He also flashed a 68-69 mph curveball with depth.
-Desert Ridge SS Riley Unroe (2013) showed why he is one of the top Arizona players in the 2013 class. The athletic SS has the best SS actions I have seen all week with quick hands, quick release, arm strength, and feel for the position. He hit left handed today, ripping a hard line drive that registered 100 mph off the bat and ran a 4.12 to first base to boot. He also showed good pop with plenty more to come on a deep fly ball to CF.
Here is video of Unroe’s third at bat Saturday night.
Chaparral avenges tourney opening loss to Saguaro, claims Cleats championship 11-4
Boxscore via GameChanger:
http://www.gamechanger.io/game-4f64a62bf4f68653b7000001/stats
Chaparral and Saguaro have become twin powerhouses in Scottsdale, AZ. Both teams are coming off of state championships in 2011, Chaparral claiming the Class 5A Division 2 title, Saguaro capturing a second straight Class 4A Division 1 title. They have crossed paths twice previously this season, with Saguaro coming away victorious in each of the first two meetings.
Their second meeting came in the 2012 Cleats Sports Invitational Classic opener, with Chaparral opening the scoring with a leadoff Home Run in the top of the first by CF Austin Singer as part of a two-run top of the first. But Saguaro stormed back for six in the bottom of the first and Chaparral wasn’t able to come all the way back.
In the championship game Chaparral proved that the third time was the charm. The Firebirds strung together three consecutive hits to start the game before a pair of sac flies off the bat of Dylan Cozens and Jeremy Wolf got the scoring started. It continued with a two-run double off the bat of Collin Gabel to push it to 4-0. It was more than enough offense for Firebirds LHP Alec Ziedler who slowed Saguaro’s high powered offense to one earned run over six innings, striking out seven and walking two.
Here is video of Dylan Cozen's first at bat Saturday night.
Check back tomorrow for a full game recap and Cleats Sports Classic Invitational wrap-up coverage.