FORT MYERS, Fla. – Think of it as a confidence-building fuel stop on the road to Perfect Game Park South at LakePoint in Emerson, Ga., and the 17u PG WWBA National Championship.
This past week’s 17u PG WWBA Southeast Championship is a far cry from the PG WWBA 17u National in terms of both quality and quantity, but winning any tournament championship in June only a couple of weeks ahead of the Atlanta-area showdown next month is a feather in anyone’s cap.
Leadoff hitter Matthew Restivo doubled, singled three times and drove in a run to help the Del Ray Beach, Fla.-based and No. 2-seeded Florida Stealth 2018 Founders get past Ralph, Ala.-based and No. 1-seeded SCORE International 17u Tampa, 4-2, in the championship game at the PG WWBA Southeast Championship, played Saturday afternoon at the CenturyLink Sports Complex.
The Stealth (6-0-0) carried a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning, watched as SCORE (5-1-0) plated a pair of runs to move within 3-2, and then added an assurance run in the top of the seventh that provided their final margin of victory.
Every team participating in the 17u PG WWBA Southeast Championship was put under the screws when the first day of play Wednesday was rained out, and the tournament became a three-day affair instead of four; every team was going to be tested.
“I’m really happy with their mental toughness because that first day really put us in flux,” Florida Stealth 2018 Founders head coach David Manning said of his squad after the championship game. “We had pitchers set to come over and pitch (on Wednesday), and then we got rained out and they couldn’t (be here) the next two days.
“So, we basically won four (pool-play) games in 24 hours and we did it with five pitchers. … But the mental toughness that they showed is what I’m really pleased with.”
With Restivo accounting for four of his team’s eight hits, the Stealth’s other batters kind of settled into the background. But Chase Asbby and Justin Rivero both knocked in runs, and Rivero and Brendan Hughes – who walked three times – each scored a pair of runs.
2018 left-hander Nick Adams got the start for the Stealth and lasted three innings, giving up a couple of earned runs on four hits while striking out four and walking one. Big 2018 right-hander Jason Chandilall did all he was asked to do and more while picking up the win in relief, working four innings of one-hit, shutout ball with three strikeouts and a walk.
SCORE pushed across both its runs in the bottom of the fourth on the strength of a leadoff walk and singles from Antonio Mussenden, Tyler Rohrberg and Macallister Jorgensen.
Both teams came into the championship game as big offensive threats, which made the low-scoring championship game kind of surprising – the Stealth had scored 24 runs in their first five games and SCORE had plated 35 in their first five.
“We had timely hitting, which was just huge. We left a lot of guys on base but we got the hits when we needed them,” Manning said. “And, for the last two years, this has probably been the best defensive club that I’ve had ever. I really don’t think anybody can hang with us with us defensively and that’s what wins you ballgames is pitching defense.”
The Florida Stealth 2018 Founders’ Jordan Rodriguez was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and SCORE International 17u Tampa 2019 right-hander Michael Dominguez was named the Most Valuable Pitcher.
In a pair if semifinal games that wrapped-up early Saturday afternoon, Florida Stealth 2018 Founder rallied from a 1-0 deficit to top No. 3 Sharks Elite (3-2-1) from Sebastian, Fla., 2-1, and SCORE International 17u Tampa buried No. 4 Broward Baseball Academy 17u (4-2-0) from Davie, Fla., 12-0 in four innings.
The Florida Stealth used a single, a walk and hit batter to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning before Rodriguez came through with a sacrifice fly to right field to break a 1-1 tie, and held on for the victory over the Elite.
2017 right-hander Hakim Williams worked the first five innings for the Stealth and allowed one earned run on three hits with two strikeouts; he didn’t walk a batter. 2018 left-hander Tyler Townsend surrendered only one hit, striking out two and walking one, during his two, shutout innings of work.
2018 lefty Chance Fogel got the start for the Sharks Elite and didn’t allow an earned run in five innings, scattering three hits while striking out four and walking one.
2018 right-hander Damien Torres threw a four-inning no-hitter with five strikeouts and one walk, and SCORE International 17u pounded out 10 hits its victory over Broward BA 17u (4-2-0).
Jacob Krueger was 2-for-2 with three RBI and delivered a sacrifice fly that plated the game-ending 12th run in the bottom of the fourth to pace SCORE at the plate. Zane Tarrance and Auston Spires each had a pair of hits and an RBI, and Jorgenson tripled, drove in two runs and scored two for SCORE.
Getting to the championship game and winning it was a big deal for the Florida Stealth 2018 because, according to Manning, it’s a team that has been playing well but has not been able to make deep runs into the playoffs. The championship run proved the team is up for the task, especially with the 17u PG WWBA National Championship right around the corner.
“Atlanta is tough because our organization doesn’t share players, but we have a couple of pitchers that didn’t pitch in this tournament and if those kids come along and pitch well in that tournament, I’d say we could go late (into the playoffs),” he said. “Winning a championship like that means you have to have (elite) pitching and you also have to have a little luck – a ball falls here or a double-play is not turned there and you lose by one or two.
“It’s going to come down to who will have the kids in the end that can throw strikes and play defense, like It was today. I think it’s the same way regardless of where you play the tournament.