San Antonio,TX- Perfect Game Texas Wooden Bat League took five prospects from each Elite team and entered in a tournament October 23-25.  The tournament was hosted by St. Mary’s University Baseball Exes in San Antonio, TX.  The Tournament consisted of nine aluminum bat teams and one very powerful Perfect Game Wooden Bat Team.  In the end , the wood was smoking and the aluminum was recycled.

                 PG Texas started their mission against the Hackshack Titans on Friday night.  The night would prove long for the Titan’s aluminum as the arms for the Perfect Game tallied a 3-0 win.  Brian Nemec, Justin Steinbach and Kevin Hall along with the signal caller, Brian Charles, combined for a two-hit shutout.  Edison Barajas, Jacob Spencer and Santons Aguilar supplied the offensive punch.  Barajas went 2 for 3 with a crushing double to right center in the first inning.  The next batter was Spencer who tripled in almost the same spot to score Barajas and Aguilar rocketed a single to score Spencer.  The defensive gem of the tournament was provided in the top of the inning by left-fielder Derek Brehm who gunned a runner down at the dish.

Early Saturday morning it was back to the diamond for the men who swing lumber.  The next victim would be HOT II (Heart of Texas II).  Once again it was the arms that led the way for another Perfect Game shut out.  Barajas followed his hot hitting performance from Friday night with 4 1/3 no-hit innings.  Josh Hamilton came in relief for 2 2/3 innings of one-hit pitching to cool down HOT II.  The wood bats were on fire as PG generated nine runs.  Leadoff man, Gabe Villarreal, went 2 for 3 and scored a run along with Chris White who also went 2 for 3 and scored 2 runs.  Nemec came off the bench and scorched a 2 run single through the right side of the infield.

Saturday afternoon, PG faced a very tough pitcher from Round Rock.  Brehm and Hull matched the Round Rock pitcher for six shutout innings.  PG sidearm reliever, Brandon Noack, entered in the seventh and game up two uncharacteristic runs.  PG could only muster a double from Andy Boerckel and a triple off the wall by Hall as they were shout out 2-0.  Perfect Game Texas ended its pool play with a 2-1 record tied with Round Rock and the Titans.  PG advanced to the championship game with the highest run differential.

The Houston Red Sox were 3-0 in its pool and faced PG in the championship game late Sunday night.  PG’s strength throughout the tourney had been its arms; the championship would be no exception.  Geoff Bezuidenhout was the starter in the championship and went three innings, giving up two unearned runs.  Noack came back after a rough outing Saturday night and pitched one perfect inning with two strikeouts to get the win.  Steinbach and Hamilton followed with scoreless innings.  Game one starter, Nemec, followed giving up three unearned runs as PG struggled on the field committing numerous errors.  The one defensive bright spot was behind the plate, Jason Thomas threw out two would be base stealers and picked a man off first.  Houston could not cool off PG’s lumber.  Keith Keilmann led the way going 2 for 3 with a walk and scored three runs.  Boerckel joined the hit parade going 2 for 4 with a run batted in.  Spencer had two hits and 2 runs batted in before being lifted for Aguilar who delivered a 2-run double.  Perfect Game Texas won the Championship 9-5.

Perfect Game Texas Director Jon Hinkel said, “This was not only a victory for the young men who swung the lumber in this tournament, it was a victory for all the young men who swing wood in the Perfect Game Fall Wood Bat League.  Wood does make you a better player.  It was proven this weekend at St. Mary’s University.”

Notes:  Up the middle Andrew Lamacchia and Ryan Young provided strong defense throughout the tournament.  Speedy outfielder, Austin Reynolds, was a key on the bases and provided a defensive lift in left field.  Cody Reimer provided great depth with his bat off the bench.  Coach Mike Zolecki (pitching), Coach Pete Villanueva (defense & thirdbase), and Coach Mike Garza ( Catchers & firstbase) did an outstanding job of coaching throughout the tournament.

There has been such great interest in the Perfect Game Texas wood bat league since the start of the fall league and the St. Mary’s tournament that Perfect Game is in the process of setting up a Texas summer wood bat league.  Many teams have expressed interest