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Tournaments  | Story  | 9/23/2018

Cangelosi rallies for title

Patrick Ebert     
Photo: Cangelosi Sparks 2022 Black (Perfect Game)

BETTENDORF, Iowa – The Lockport, Illinois-based Cangelosi Sparks baseball organization is making winning championships look easy in the state of Iowa. In addition to claiming a Jupiter bid at the Kernels Foundation Championship last October, their 2021 team won the Midwest Underclass Championship last weekend before their 2022 squad secured the inaugural Midwest Freshman Championship on Sunday.

And they did so in dramatic fashion. Entering the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, they had their backs against the wall late in the championship game against the Hitters 2022 Navy squad before scoring a single tally in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings. In the eighth they added another run to walk it off with a 6-5 victory.

Cangelosi Sparks got on the board first in the first inning, scoring a run on a pair of errors. However, they quickly fell into hole as the Hitters erupted for five runs in the top of the second, highlighted by back-to-back two-run doubles by Gavin Kilen and Rj Nord.

That, however, would be the end of the Hitters scoring, and Cangelosi pulled within one run after a three-run fourth which included a two-run single off the bat of Tyler Skrabis.

The Sparks tied the game in the bottom of the seventh as William Flanigan hit a two-out single that knotted the game 5-5 and forced extra innings. Brandon Pritchard added a second clutch two-out RBI single in the eighth that ended the game and gave Cangelosi Sparks 2022 Black the 2018 Midwest Freshman Championship title.

Flanigan proved to be the hero in more ways than one as he was excellent in relief of Sparks’ starter Nate Voss, providing five scoreless innings of three-hit ball before Jayden Comia held the Hitters scoreless in the top of the eight inning to close out the game.

Both teams enjoyed blowout wins in the semifinal round to advance. Cangelosi defeated Gamers 15u by a score of 14-0 as Tyler Young – who scored the game-tying run in the championship game – went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI and tossed four scoreless innings in a run-rule shortened contest. Ryan Mrozek had four RBI and three runs scored of his own.

The Hitters defeated Rhino Baseball 13-2 as nine different players recorded a base hit and eight different batters both scored at least one run and/or drove in at least one run to advance.

Jayden Comia was named the event MVP after he batted .429 (6-for-14) with 10 RBI in five games for Caneglosi, which included one contest earlier on Sunday in which he hit a pair of doubles and drove in six runs. He also recorded the win from the mound in the championship game, tossing the final inning while striking out a pair.

Tyler Pritchard was named the Most Valuable Pitcher after tossing a complete game shutout against the Nebraska Prospects. He allowed only two base hits and two walks while fanning five.


2018 WWBA Midwest Freshman Championship runner-up: Hitters 2022 Navy



2018 WWBA Midwest Freshman Championship MVP: Jayden Comia



2018 WWBA Midwest Freshman Championship MV-Pitcher: Tyler Pritchard
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