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Tournaments  | Championship  | 7/15/2020

Co-Champs at the 17u BCS

Julia Krzeminski     
FORT MYERS, FL. -- Earning a spot in the 17U BCS National championship game was no easy feat. For six days, one hundred and twenty teams battled it out through pool play and playoffs to see whose line up would be facing off for the BCS title. Not far from Fort Myers, locals Hit Factory Pro from Tampa out played the Florida Rebels in the semi-finals to lock in their spot in the championship after a walk off wild pitch. In similar fashion, Dirtbags All Blacks out of North Carolina won their semi-final matchup after a strong seventh inning comeback and a walk off error. After two incredible wins, both teams came into the championship set on taking home the title.

The Dirtbags in particular were “so pumped after the walk off, pumped to pick right back up” for the championship and when they walked into jetBlue, “the adrenaline picked up” coach John Walker told PG.



The Dirtbags were first on the mound and pitcher Isaac Williams threw a clean inning retiring three batters with one K.

For Hit Factory however, pitcher Austin Grause wouldn’t be so lucky. Hitting third in the lineup, Kahlil Watson turned around a 90 mph fastball sending it deep into left off the green monster at jetBlue. Watson’s double was enough to bring Ty Dooley home for the Dirtbags first run. To save the inning, Grause closed things out with two back to back Ks.

Play slowed down through the second and third inning as both pitchers shut down batter after batter.

Pitcher Issac Williams threw just five pitches after seeing three batters during the second and he imitated this performance though the third with another three up three down. Similarly, Austin Grause of Hit Factory allowed just one hit through the fourth inning and struck out two.

As the fourth inning began, Hit Factory started heating up at the plate as Jonathan Vastine hit a bomb deep to left for a triple. Following right behind him, Cole Russo came to the plate and delivered a single line drive to right for an RBI to tie up the game.

Just as the game became an even matchup, a lightning delay midway through the top of the fifth brought both team’s momentum to a sudden halt.

After a lengthy delay and heavy rains, the game was unsalvageable and the Dirtbags All Blacks and Hit Factory Pro were named the 17U BCS National Co-Champions.

Both teams seemed to be in good spirits about being co-champions due to the circumstances as coach Pat Russo of Hit Factory told PG “it’s good for us”.

The Most Valuable Player Award was given to both Jonathan Vastine of Hit Factory and Kahlil Watsonn of the Dirtbags due to both having an incredible performance during the tournament. Jonathan Vastine had a total of seventeen hits, two home runs, and seventeen runs. Watson had thirteen hits, seven runs, and one home run.

The Most Valuable Pitcher was awarded to Holden Wade of Hit Factory with a tournament performance including thirty-six outs and eighteen strikeouts over twelve innings pitched
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