EMERSON, Ga. – “Execution of little things.” That is what Astros’ head coach Matt Hightower said was the key to success to his team winning the 14u PG Summer Showdown protected by G-Form. Hightower’s Astros beat the Ninth Inning Royals Radcliff by a score of 8-1 to secure the tournament win.

“We had a lot of games open up because we used the short game early, teams maybe weren’t prepared for it, because I think they’re expecting us maybe going for a bigger swing, and we did a lot of little things early and then the game opened up for us, so we made them work. We put the pressure on the defense,” Hightower said about his team all throughout the tournament.

The Astros certainly did that in the championship game, striking first in the bottom of the first with a run that was manufactured by a leadoff walk and two singles. Ninth Inning would respond with a run of their own that came around on an error by leftfielder Taydan DeVargas. Although Astros starter Quinn Kerce could have given in and let the error get the best of him on the mound, he did not let it affect him, and finished off the Royals to strand the go-ahead run at third.

“When [the Royals] made their little early run at us, it was fine, we keep making pitches and we keep moving strategically through the order. In that situation, we had an uncharacteristic play in left field that led to their one run, is fine. Next guy walked, okay, we can set up other things either way, so you just keep moving down the order, and you keep making pitches, and you keep competing. Then that gave our offense a chance to do their thing,” Hightower said.

The Astros bounced back as a team from the error, putting it behind that and just going back to work at the plate, scoring five runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a commanding 6-1 lead. Hightower said that the team has faced adversity this season so far, having played 51 games since late April. He felt like they knew how to handle it and loved what he saw from the team after the error in the second.

“When they scored one early, we were able to come back and say ‘Alright, now let’s answer back,’ and we’ve had that a number of times,” Hightower said. “Pretty much, the fact that this group has been together, it’s a strong unit, and the chemistry is really the glue that gets us through those moments.”

Six straight batters reached in the bottom of the sixth for the Astros as the team was a home run away from the cycle in that inning. With an 0-2 count on him, James Tibbs would work the count back to 2-2, and was able to get a fastball that he could handle to single home two runs in the inning to break the game open. Tibbs struggled in his previous tournament, going 2-for-12 in the PG/EC Invitational earlier this month, but bounced back nicely thanks to a change in approach.

“I was getting my confidence back. I was coming off a little bit of a slump, and so to be able to just change my mindset and make some solid contact, that really helped a lot,” Tibbs said. “I changed my mindset of trying to hit it as hard as I can [to] go the opposite way and go from there.”

The 5-foor-10, 165-pound switch hitting Tibbs would finish the tournament 11-for-18 with three doubles, eight RBIs and six stolen bases. His performance would lead him to be named the MV-Player of the tournament, an award he is no stranger to winning, as he previously won the award in the 2014 11u Super25 and the 2015 12u Super25 tournaments. Tibbs has a smooth swing from both sides of the plate, which has allowed him to experience success in his career so far.

“Tibbs does as good of a job of anybody of being able to stay middle away, knowing that’s where they’re going to pitch him at times. At times, we obviously go through the battle of when it’s a 2-0 count, not getting outside yourself, getting too big for the moment, and being able to control, relax and still being able to stick with the approach. Keeping that mindset keeps the emotions in check,” Hightower said. “Not just him, but the rest have learned how much more successful they can be with that when they keep their emotions in check and just play the game.”

The offense continued their torrid run-scoring pace, scoring two more runs after having already scored 51 runs in their previous six games. The Astros approach at the plate enabled starters to settle in on the mound all weekend because many of them received early leads. Even if the team did not score early, their starters knew that the offense would give them support eventually. Kerce was a beneficiary of the early run support, which allowed him to be more comfortable on the mound.

“It was huge,” Kerce said about the early run support. “It gave me more confidence as I went on, because I knew if they kept acting like that, I would have more support.”

Although Kerce had to dance out of danger with bases loaded and one out in the fourth, he was solid on the mound, throwing seven innings, giving up only one run and two walks, striking out three. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound lefty featured a fastball that ranged from 74-78 mph, to go along with a curve and changeup. Quinn offered what led to his success on the mound.

“My fastball working away,” Quinn said. “Also, pounding the batters inside and outside, making them jam themselves and have them work ground balls to turn a double play.”

The win was the Astros’ second championship win of the month, having won the 14u Perfect Game/East Cobb Invitational on June 5. They also finished third in the WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint and runner-up in the 14u PG Super25 GA Super Qualifier. The Astros are always a talented bunch, ranking near the top of the best travel teams in the country year after year in multiple age groups, and usually experience success like this. Hightower said that this win meant a lot for the squad and showed the depth of talent that the team possesses.

“It solidifies what we’re working on every day,” Hightower said. “It’s nothing really to do with wins and losses and everything, we’re going to put ourselves in position to compete, but there’s a lot of stuff out here where kids have to earn their right to be on the field and it’s a tricky balance, especially when you have a team that I believe is very deep, because some of those kids haven’t been in those moments, where maybe they’re struggling for a second and another guy has to come in and step in their place, and that’s ok, because we’ve all been there. At the end of the day, everybody seems to be ready, and everybody knows their job and role, and we’ve learned that through the course of time of how many games we’ve played.”

Malcolm Williams of the Ninth Inning Royals received the MV-Pitcher award after throwing a complete game shutout against the 643 DP Cougars. He gave up only five hits, while walking none and striking out seven.


2017 14u PG Summer Showdown Protected by G-Form runner-up: Ninth Inning Royals Radcliff



2017 14u PG Summer Showdown Protected by G-Form MVP: James Tibbs



2017 14u PG Summer Showdown Protected by G-Form MV-Pitcher: Malcolm Williams