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Tournaments  | Story  | 6/1/2021

11 Teams Stand Atop SE Memorial

Matthew Welsh     
Photo: 5 Star National 17u Black (Perfect Game)
ATLANTA, Ga. -- 5 Star National 17u Black powered its way to a 10-2 run-rule victory in six innings over Team Elite 17u Black in the Championship game of the 17u Southeast Memorial Day Classic on Monday afternoon.

It was 5 Star’s offensive approach that propelled them to the title. Nine hits and six walks in the final game of the weekend rounded out a tournament that saw this 5 Star team post a 6-1 record.



But it was Team Elite who jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first, largely due to the speed of Georgia commit Justin Thomas. As the first batter of the game for Team Elite, Thomas drew a walk and advanced to second on a stolen base four pitches later.

During the next at-bat, Thomas drew a wild throw to third base on a fielder’s choice situation that eluded its target and allowed him to scamper home for the game’s first run. Thomas was named the MVP of the 17u division for his efforts. 

5 Star responded immediately in the second inning with a leadoff double from four-hole hitter Knox Bennett that clanged off of the right field fence. A subsequent walk to Jaxson West forced an early exit from Team Elite’s starter Gavin Black, who worked into the second inning. Auburn commit Landon Russell relieved Black.

Bennet was thrown out two pitches later trying to steal third base. However, Florida commit Blaydon Plain salvaged the inning for 5 Star by driving in West from second, bringing the score to 1-1, entering the top of the third.

Georgia commit Connor Crisp started on the bump for 5 Star and was crucial to providing depth into the game. Crisp allowed only one hit over the five innings he pitched, and the lone run Team Elite scored in the first inning would be Crisp’s only earned run on the afternoon. Supplementing his championship-worthy outing were six strikeouts.

“I felt great, and was just trying to locate the ball, and attack with my fastball,” Crisp said. “For me I just need to keep pitching great and focus, lock-in, and keep doing what I do.”

As the game continued into the fourth inning, both teams were still locked in a 1-1 affair. That stalemate would not see the end of the inning.

Georgia Tech commit Davis Green began 5 Star’s surge with a leadoff line drive single off of Team Elite’s third pitcher of the day, Aryan Patel. Two more walks loaded the bases for 5 Star with one out in the inning. Hunter Russell followed with a single up the middle that broke the deadlock and made the score 2-1. The next batter, Plain, sent another runner home with a deep sacrifice fly to right field.

Still, the scoring did not end there. Courtesy runner Carlos Elian Martinez slid home on a wild pitch from Patel one batter later, and after the top of the frame, 5 Star had amassed a 4-1 advantage.

“I’m always thinking about my backside and letting the ball get deep, so if it gets to my backside, good things usually happen,” said Bennett on his approach in today’s big game.

This would be all the momentum 5 Star needed to claim the championship. They went on to score three runs each in the fifth and sixth innings. Bennet added to his productive day at the plate with another double off of the right field wall in the fifth, almost identical to his stroke in the fourth. He finished the game 2-for-2 with two balls inches from leaving the park.

“I wanted those balls to get out of here, but at the end of the day it helped us win,” Bennett said. “This [win] definitely gives us momentum going into the other tournaments later in the summer, and coming off of a big win, we’re just going to try and carry it into the next tournament.”

Team Elite scratched across one final run in the bottom of the sixth inning, but it was too little, too late as reliever and Texas Tech commit Gage Harrelson slammed the door on the game’s final frame for 5 Star’s first championship of the summer season.

5 Star's Austin Williamson was named the MV-Pitcher of the event, having gone six innings against Mavz GA 17U and striking out a whopping 13 hitters and allowing just one hit and one walk.

5 Star National 17u Black will return next weekend for the Perfect Game Southeast Elite Championships, which begins June 3.



Perfect Game 18u Southeast Memorial Day Classic

 The East Cobb Astros took home this weekend’s 18u championship in the Southeast Memorial Day Classic in striking fashion. The Astros dismantled their competition by a score of 15-0 in a game that failed to reach the fourth inning. 

Agyei Quinichett earned the win for the Astros, having pitched three innings where he allowed only one hit, one walk and no runs. The uncommitted right-hander and middle infielder worked off of a mid-80s fastball and breaking ball that registered in the mid- to low-70s. 
 
The Astros scored three in the bottom of the first inning, six in the second and six in the third to blank Team Elite for the win.
 
Six individual batters plated a run for the Astros, with the highlights being Andrew Yu (Duke commit), who went 2-for-3 in the game, and Michael Sharman (Parkland College), who went 1-for-2 with a home run.

Thaddeus Ector, who played for East Cobb Astros 18u, was named the MVP of the tournament after his ridiculous weekend at the plate where he hit .846 (11-for-13), with 6 extra-base hits, 6 runs, 13 RBI, 3 stolen bases, and a pair of walks.

Joshua Stewart, a Texas signee, won MV-Pitcher honors for East Cobb for his six-inning, eight-strikeout performance in the semifinals.



Perfect Game 16u Southeast Memorial Day Classic

 GBSA Rays held on to beat Georgia Bombers 16u Marucci, 3-2, in their championship game this weekend. After four innings, the Georgia Bombers held a slim 2-1 lead, but the Rays pushed across two runs in the top of the sixth to steal the win. 
 
Kole Hammond started and went the distance for the Rays, allowing only three hits and one walk through seven innings. He registered one strikeout as well in his Monday afternoon outing. 
 
Shamaar McDuffie went 1-for-2 with an additional run scored in his team’s one-run victory. Georgetown commit Edward Phelps III drove in two of the Ray's three runs, and was a large contributor the team’s eventual game-winning effort.

Eric Guevara, playing for GBSA Rays 16u over the weekend, was named the MVP of the event, hitting .588 (10-for-17) with a pair of home runs, a double, a triple, and 9 RBI.

Georgia Bombers 16u Marucci's Evan O'Neill won MV-Pitcher honors, tossing eight innings across two outings and striking out 12, finishing with a nothing ERA.



Perfect Game 15u Southeast Memorial Day Classic

 Diamond Gold shut out SmarTense 15u Black, 8-0, to earn a championship victory in this weekend’s Memorial Day Classic. 
 
Andrew Hill pitched seven innings of scoreless baseball for Diamond Gold and struck out five batters in the process, allowing only three hits in his outing. Hill’s fastball topped at 81 mph. 
 
Braylon Hall led Diamond Gold’s offense, going 2-for-2 in the game and scored one of his team’s eight runs. Other offensive contributors were Briley Larue, who went 1-for-3, and Henry Ferguson, who also went 1-for-3 with a double and one run scored.

Diamond Gold's Rex Pendergrass won the MVP of the event at the 15u level, hitting .550 for the event (11-for-20) with 2 home runs, 4 doubles, 12 RBI. and 8 runs scored himself.

Carson Hoffmeister, pitching for Diamond Gold, won MV-Pitcher honors. Hoffmeister pitched 8 1/3 innings over two appearances, striking out 11 and not allowing a single earned run in the process.



Perfect Game 14u Southeast Memorial Day Classic

Champion: 5 Star National Neyra

Finalist: Team Elite 14u National

MVP: Carter Freiberg

MV-Pitcher: Coleman Lewis



Perfect Game 13u 60/90 Southeast Memorial Day Classic

Champion: Texas Canes Elite 13u

Finalist: Baseball Lab Comanche

MVP: Brenden Lewis

MV-Pitcher: Corwin Allard



Perfect Game 13u 54/80 Southeast Memorial Day Classic

Champion: Georgia Roadrunners

Finalist: Georgia Academy Power

MVP: Vance Bock

MV-Pitcher: Levi Crowe



Perfect Game 12u Southeast Memorial Day Classic

Champion: 643 DP Cougars 12u Bishop

Finalist: Team Elite 12u Prospects

MVP: Max Rogozinski

MV-Pitcher: Evan Brand



Perfect Game 11u Southeast Memorial Day Classic

Champion: East Cobb Astros 11u

Finalist: Dingers Athletics 11u Elite

MVP: Bryson Niehr

MV-Pitcher: Eli Mastin



Perfect Game 10u Southeast Memorial Day Classic

Champion: M3elite

Finalist: Home Plate Chili Dogs 10u Grebek

MVP: Maddox Porter

MV-Pitcher: Mason Kendrick



Perfect Game 8u Southeast Memorial Day Classic

Champion: East Cobb Astros Lear

Finalist: West Cobb Sox

MVP: Cal Wiley

MV-Pitcher: Owen McKinley
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