EMERSON, Ga. – It has been quite the journey for every team that is still alive at the 2015 15u WWBA National Championship; from mesmerizing extra-inning finishes to come-from-behind wins, the playoffs have had everything you could have asked for. By Wednesday afternoon on an overcast day there were eight elite teams left standing. The quarterfinals were ready for them, but would they be ready for the quarterfinals?

Emotions were running high on Wednesday. Every few minutes, a crowd from a different field would erupt in a thunderous roar, whether it be in celebration or frustration. It was up to these young players to keep their nerves in check and simply play their game, especially since the slightest mistake could mean the difference between winning and losing. That was the case in a lot of today’s games, as three of the four quarterfinal games finished with just one run separating the winner and the loser.

The only game decided by more than one game was the East Cobb Astros' 2-0 win over the Mid-Atlantic Red Sox.

The Astros were the first to claim their spot in the semifinals and their game went by in the blink of an eye. With the official game time being just over an hour long, there is no question that pitching played a huge role in this game. Both starters for the Red Sox and Astros were on their game today, and runs were at a premium.

The first couple of innings set the tone with six relatively quick outs for both teams, but in the third, the Astros would draw blood first and obtain an early lead. It was no easy feat, considering the Red Sox are a sharp defensive team who are always thinking one pitch ahead, but the Astros were able to take advantage of free bases.

The Red Sox’ starter, Zack Gelof, had done very well up to that point, but the Astros were being extremely selective at the plate, and it paid off. They were able to draw a couple of walks and produce a base hit that would eventually load the bases. The next batter would be walked in for the first run of the game, and then Astros’ shortstop Ryan Bliss found a hole in shallow left field to knock in another run. The inning would end abruptly after that, but the Astros had done their damage, and they would now look to their starter, Jared Helton, to hold the two-run lead.

Helton was not phased by the pressure thrown upon him. Until the seventh inning he held the Red Sox to just two hits, and in the seventh the Sox started off with the leadoff hitter, Trey Toppin, reaching on an error and advancing to second on the play. That renewed the spirit of the crowd and the dugout. Toppin would eventually be thrown out at third on a fielder's choice, as Helton was just too much to handle. He stomped on the potential rally with two quick groundball outs, and the Astros were able to secure their 2-0 victory.

Helton worked quickly and pitched very economically. He also had an uncanny knack of getting ahead in the count, as he had an astounding 20 first-pitch strikes. He used getting ahead in the count to his advantage and was able to mix and match pitches very well. His breaking ball was deadly, and there was not one good swing put on it all day. Helton only had four strikeouts, but his complete game performance was nothing short of dominant.

“Throw strikes, keep the ball down, and work good off-speed was my motto for today,” Helton said after the game. “My off-speed was great and I was really hitting my spots. In the start I had earlier this week, the weather was really bad, but I fought through it, so I’m glad we didn’t see any rain today. I think today I was just getting ahead a lot better, which helped my off-speed.”

Along with the magnificent job on the bump by Helton, Ryan Bliss has played a big part setting the tone at the top of the Astros' batting order. He drew a walk and his RBI was clutch, and in a close game like this, every run matters. Bliss was also very smooth at shortstop and made a number of great plays.

Defense is something that Bliss prides himself on, and he was happy to be able to help his team from both the hitting and fielding aspects of the game.

“Today I just wanted to stay on the ground, hit oppo, and drive in some runs,” Bliss said of his performance. “Defense is my number one priority, it’s what I live and die for. We got some good momentum right now, so hopefully our next two pitchers do well like Jared did, and we get some timely hits. I think we do have to hit better. If we do that, then we’ll be alright.”

The Astros are 9-0 so far, but they have been missing the offensive numbers that they feel they are capable of producing. With just under 50 runs through those nine games, the Astros would like to see an increase of the run scoring in their next game. They look forward to their semifinal match up against a talented Phenom Signature team scheduled for Friday morning.

Although that won't be an easy task, as Phenom Signature is a tough team to get the offense going against – as evidenced by the six runs they have allowed through nine games played – with numerous high-powered hurlers. It will certainly be a test, but East Cobb Astros Head Coach Dennis Jordan feels that his team is up for the challenge.

“Today we mixed pitches and threw strikes. We are very athletic defensively, so if we dominate the zone and throw strikes, then we will have a chance to win,” Coach Jordan said. “Give Helton a lot of credit, he hit his spots and really dominated the zone today. We have a lot of arms, but we don’t have those 87-88 mph arms; but that doesn’t mean we can’t still pitch it. We are where we are because we play great as a whole, and our defense backs up our pitchers like no other cause of their athleticism.

“We try to play every game the same way, and obviously some games are bigger, but we try not to get too overzealous about the situation. We just want to dominate with pitching, hit the ball when we can, and let our kids play. This is our last tournament, so a win at the end of this would be nice.”