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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/5/2021

Top Tier Is Tops at 16u National Elite

Photo: Top Tier Roos American (Perfect Game)
HOOVER, Ala. -- The 2021 16U PG National Elite Championship brought some of the best 2023 graduate players in the country to the Hoover Metropolitan Complex, where 80 teams would compete for the right to be crowned champions.
 
The first semifinal game featuring Top Tier Roos American and Scorpion 2023 Marucci, and would start off as a defensive battle, highlighted by exceptional fielding performances by both teams. On the mound, Cristofer Walley of Top Tier Roos and Olin Johnson of Scorpion both started hot, refusing to buckle and keeping the opposing offenses in check, but that would change in the top of the fifth, when Steven Milam hit a line drive to right field to bring in Walley for the first score of the game to put Top Tier Roos up 1-0. Despite an attempted comeback from Scorpion Marucci, the Top Tier Roos refused to buckle and completed yet another scoreless inning. From there, the Roos secured the momentum and would add another two runs from Cade Kurland and Landen Maroudis to go up 3-0.
 
The final nail in the coffin, however, would come in the top of the seventh, when the Roos put on an offensive barrage. After an error brought in Milam and Aidan Miller, Top Tier would find themselves with a 5-0 lead. Later in the inning Wesley Mendez would hit a line drive to bring in Kurland. A few pitches later, Colton Wombles would send a ball deep to right, bringing in Maroudis to pad the lead. When it was all said and done, Top Tier Roos held a commanding 7-0 lead with one inning to go. Despite a valiant comeback attempt by Scorpions Marucci, including a three-run bomb to right field by Brady Appeal, Top Tier Roos secured the 7-4 victory.
 
In the next game slot, Cincinnati Spikes 16U would face East Coast Astros Texas Orange for the opportunity to take on Top Tier Roos in the final game. East Coast Astros wasted no time, loading the bases on the first three batters and bringing in Chandler Pollard and Isaiah Drake to take a 2-0 lead early, and the Astros rode the hot hand from starting pitcher Tate McKee. Similar to the first game, both defenses were phenomenal and kept the opposing offenses in check for the most of the game. The top of the fifth, however, was when the East Coast Astros began to break away.
 
Just like they had in the first inning, the Astros wasted no time loading the bases. Ethan Stutton would come home on a walk and Pollard would follow thanks to a base hit by Luke Orfi. Finally, John Cooper Williams would step up to the plate and hit a scorching line drive to right field, bringing home both Luke Dotson and Jackson Mckenzie. The Astros would take a 6-0 lead and it was up to the Cincinnati Spikes to try and mount a difficult comeback. Jacob Brown would bring in Nathan Manley on a sac fly to put the Cincinnati Spikes on the board. The Spikes defense held its ground and kept the Astros in check, thanks in part to strong pitching performances from Noah Miller and Nolen Vertz. The offense, however, could not overcome the 6-1 deficit as The East Coast Astros would secure the 6-1 victory over the Cincinnati Spikes.
 
The final match was set. The road for both teams was long and challenging, but there was no longer any doubt as to who the two best teams in the tournament were. Finally, the Top Tier Roos American and East Coast Astros Texas Orange would face off in the championship match to crown the kings of the 16U National Elite tournament.
 
As expected, both teams would hold their ground in a steady balance of offense and defense. The Top Tier Roos struck first when Colton Wombles scored off an error. Later, Aidan Miller would bring in Cristofer Walley off a sac fly to right field, putting Top Tier up 2-0. Their lead would be short-lived, and the Astros would respond quickly when Jackson McKenzie hit a ball deep to center for a two-RBI double to tie the game 2-2. That, too, was short-lived, however, and the Top Tiers Roos snapped right back in the bottom of the third with two more runs driven in from a deep shot to left field by Troy Reader. This time, the Astros were unable to respond in the top of the fourth, with starting pitcher Aiden Miller having a phenomenal day on the mound. 
 
From that point on, Miller and the Top Tier Roos seemed to play in perfect sync, quickly shutting down any attempts from the Astros offense to mount a comeback. The Roos offense was not finished either, and would add another run on a sac fly from Kodi Deskins in the bottom of the sixth. The Astros would have one final chance to mount a comeback in the top of the seventh, but once again the Aidan Miller-led defense proved to be too strong. The Top Tier Roos defeated the East Cobb Astros by a final score of 6-3, cementing their title as the 2021 16U PG National Elite Tournament Champions.
 
For his production at the plate and impressive outing on the mound, Aidan Miller was rightfully declared the MVP. Though his team fell short in the final game, East Cobb Astros pitcher Luke Dotson received the MV-Pitcher for another excellent performance in helping his team get to the championship game.




Maxwell Gault
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