EMERSON, Ga. – In a game that was not in doubt for long, the Barrington Broncos defeated the Covington Chargers 8-0 to become champions of the PG Rawlings Select Classic #2. As the Broncos have shown all-tournament long, their combination of all aspects of the game is what led them to victory.
The pitching is what stood out most for Barrington, however, as Nick Boegarts and Brad Peters combined to throw a no-hitter in the championship final. There were only two walks between the two, and the pitchers were very effective at limiting hard contact and allowing their defense to take charge and turn batted balls into outs.
The game started off with a bang as eventual tournament MVP Tyler Acosta launched a two-run shot to left centerfield to open the scoring at 2-0. Acosta and two-hole hitter Clark Elliot have been dynamic in terms of setting the table and coming in with big hits as Elliot finished with a .500 average and Acosta with a .455 line.
“I was getting myself in counts where I’m going to see fastballs," said Acosta. "I’m not necessarily a fastball hitter but when I see one down the middle of the plate, I’m going to swing.”
The defense has been the strong suit for the Broncos during the entire event and they were sharp again on Saturday morning. Despite two errors, they turned everything hit into outs and the infield defense in particular was impressive as both pitchers were getting a lot of ground balls.
Coach Pat Wise credited the play of the defense to the focus on fundamentals and the small, often unnoticed, things that happen on a diamond.
“The game of baseball is about fundamentals and doing the little things right, even if it is a little cliché," said Wise. "We focus on three things at Barrington: having a plan, we’re going to outhustle, and we’re going to try to chase the starting pitcher. If we can do those things we’re going to be okay and that’s the mantra we live by. That’s what we ended up doing and, I mean, they were all good teams so in the end I was really proud of my pitchers for throwing strikes and allowing the defense to male plays behind them. I’m really happy with our team.”
The season is young for Barrington, but a championship in the PG Rawlings Select Classic is a builder for any program. Wise wasn't focused so much on a result, but was focused on the process of the team growing together. After capturing the tournament crown and playing well as a cohesive unit, it is a fair decision to trust the process.
“We came down here to learn about who we are. Whether we are playing teams from different states or not, it’s about us finding who we are," said Wise. "I was really happy about the way our guys battled. We were in a tough semifinal game that was close throughout and we had a great play across the diamond where our first baseman picked it. Whether we win or lose that game it was a positive takeaway. I think the loss to Rock Bridge was good for us, even though we didn’t get the result we wanted, we thought we played a good game; they were a great team. We weren’t concerned about the result, we were focused on the process.”
This week was about forging an identity for Barrington. They have been playing at PG Park since Monday of last week and were continually growing as a team. After the events of this week, Wise is very proud of his team and where they can go from here.
“To me, forget the wins and everything, I just told these guys to have each other’s backs," said Wise. "You saw the way they stormed the field, these guys don’t do it for the trophy they do it for the love of the game. These guys just love the game, it’s that intangible thing and I just feel that. The best part is we used a lot of guys this tournament, we’ve been here since Monday. We used a lot of guys and between varsity and JV I think we only lost two games. And that’s great result-wise but I think most importantly we figured out who we are as a team when we head back to Illinois.”
Tyler Acosta was named MVP of the tournament and he uses his speed, defense, and offense to lead the team. He finished the tournament going 5-for-11 (.455) including four RBI, four runs scored, and the home run to give them the lead in the championship game. Nick Gardner of Barrington was named the MV-Pitcher for the event. He tossed a complete game shutout in the semifinal game and only allowed three hits.
2017 Rawlings Select Classic #2 runner-up: Covington High School
2017 Rawlings Select Classic #2 MVP: Tyler Acosta
2017 Rawlings Select Classic #2 MV-Pitcher: Nick Gardner
