THE ORLANDO SCORPIONS WIN THE 17U BCS FINALS!
The Orlando Scorpions made a convincing argument as the best team of the tournament with a solid victory over the All American Prospects. They defeated the Prospects by a score of 12 to 5.
The win completed an impressive run to the championship that included a previous victory over the Prospects (8-3 in a 3rd round playoff game) and 4 games against NorCal Baseball. After a 1-1 tie with NorCal in pool play, the Scorpions defeated them 7-3 (2nd round), lost 9-5 (4th round) and then came back to win again, 4-3, to make it to the championship game.
In the championship, the Scorpions batted around in the first inning, seeing their first five hitters cross the plate to go up 5 to 0. Greg Wheatley, Harry Honeycutt, Justin LaFavers, and Tony Caldwell all reached base on singles while Tyler Benzel reached on an error. Cody Allen drove home the final run in the 1st for the Scorpions with a double off of Prospects pitcher Sean Koecheler. Orlando pitcher Doug Wagner yielded only a single to the Prospects in the bottom of the 1st.
After Wheatley scored for the Scorpions off a Benzel double in the top of the 2nd, the Prospects put a run on the board in the bottom of the inning to remain down by 5 runs (6-1). Derek Sejnoha scored on a Nikko Navarro single for All American.
The Orlando bats were hot once again in the 3rd as Jake Huxtable led off the inning with a single and then scored on a Wheatley single a few batters later. With the bases loaded, Allen scored when Prospects pitcher Adrian Puig walked Honeycutt. LaFavers then hit a single to bring home Wheatley and Honeycutt.
With a Michael Fernandez walk and singles by Joey Hage, A. J. Regoli and Anthony Boza, the Prospects put 2 runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the 3rd, closing out the inning down 10 to 3.
While holding the Scorpions scoreless in the top of the 4th and 5th, the Prospects scored 1 run in the bottom of each inning to close the gap to 5 runs once again at 10 to 5 at the end of five. After hitting a triple, Danny Rams scored on a double play ball to 3rd in the 4th. In the 5th, Rolando Gomez walked and advanced to 2nd on a single by Regoli. After moving to 3rd on an error, Gomez was driven home by Derek Sejnoha.
The Scorpions then returned the favor to the Prospects by holding them scoreless in the bottom of the 6th and 7th and scoring one run in each inning to close out the scoring at 12 to 5. LaFavers scored in the top of the 6th and then drove home Honeycutt for the final run of the game in the 7th.
The Scorpions leave the tournament with a 7-1-1 record.
WP: Doug Wagner: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 K, 3 BB
LP: Sean Koecheler: 0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 0 K, 0 BB
Orlando leading hitters
Greg Wheatley: 3 R, 2 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Harry Honeycutt: 3 R, 2 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Tyler Benzel: 1 R, 1 H, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 SB
Justin LaFavers: 1 R, 3 H, 3 RBI
Tony Caldwell: 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI
Jake Huxtable: 1 R, 1 H, 1 SB
Cody Allen: 1 R, 2 H, 1 2B, 1 RBI,
All American leading hitters
Joey Hage: 1 R, 1 H
Rolando Gomez: 1 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 SB
A. J. Regoli: 2 H, 1 RBI
Anthony Boza: 1 H, 1 RBI
Derek Sejnoha: 1 R, 1 H, 1 RBI
Danny Rams: 1 R, 1 H, 1 3B
Nikko Navarro: 1 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Alex Godshall: 1 RBI
Michael Fernandez: 1 R, 1 H
HIGHLIGHTS: ORLANDO SCORPIONS ARE CHAMPIONS OF 17U BCS FINALS
CO-MVPs: JUSTIN LAFAVERS OF ORLANDO SCORPIONS
NIKKO NAVARRO OF ALL AMERICAN PROSPECTS
CO-TOP PITCHERS: JOHN GAST OF ORLANDO SCORPIONS
VINNY LALLY OF ALL AMERICAN PROSPECTS