13u Championship Recap: Day 1

Jordan Posway

Day one of the PG Super25 13u National Championship is officially in the books. Here is a quick recap of the action today in Fort Myers:

A fantastic day on the mound by Jake Little propelled Team Florida 2020 past the Diamond Jacks Super in the first game of the day. In six innings, Little fanned seven batters, allowing six hits and no earned runs. Bennett Lee led the team in scoring with an RBI double in the first inning and an RBI single in the third. Strong showings on both sides of the ball pushed Team Florida 2020 over the top for the 5-1 win.

Georgia Team Combat’s offense wasted no time, jumping out in front of the SC Bulldogs by seven runs in the first three innings. Lucas Cook and Josh Shuler led the offensive charge, combining for four RBIs. Ryder Willard kept the Bulldogs’ offense at bay, pitching three shut-out innings. He was spelled by relief pitchers Josh Shuler and Joshua Downs who closed out the game and secured the 10-2 victory. Georgia Team Combat’s second contest against the Florida Stealth Red was easily the wackiest contest of day one. The teams traded blows throughout the game, but neither team could separate themselves as the game ended in an 8-8 draw. Raheem Salmon and Drake Chamberlin led the five run charge for Florida Stealth Red in the top of the 1^st inning. Georgia Team Combat was quick to respond as Shuler and Cook came through once again with RBI doubles. Tied at seven through four innings, the Florida Stealth scored what seemed to be the deciding run. However, Georgia Team Combat would equalize in the bottom of the 5^th inning, but they would not break the tie.

Roadrunner Baseball edged Team Rawlings PBF 9-8 in a back-and-forth affair in five innings. The two teams combined for 20 hits, six of which went for extra bases. Zach Wall and Clayton Dean of Team Rawlings consistently made contact with the ball, but the meticulous hitting of Charlie Taylor and the Roadrunners was too much to overcome. The Roadrunners iced the game with five runs in the final two innings. The Roadrunners’ offense would continue to click against the Legends Prospects in their second game of the day. The Roadrunners’ offense was consistent, scoring at least one run in the first six innings. Bradley Rowlinson led the way with three RBIs while Daniel Smith stymied the Prospects’ bats as the Roadrunners topped the Prospects 8-4.

A dominant two-way performance by Nick Halo led the Akadema Diamond Stars Titans past the Florida Burn Tampa. In nearly four innings of work, Halo only allowed two hits and one earned run. He was also a catalyst in Akadema’s eight run outburst in the 3^rd inning with a three-run double. Gabe Hernandez matched Halo with three RBIs of his own as their team would cruise to a 9-3 victory in their first game of the tournament.

The GoWags Lumberkings jumped out to an early lead against the SWFL Starz and never looked back. The GoWags’ starting pitcher, Hunter Merritt, dished out four strike outs, allowing only four hits in five shut-out innings. Garrett Lowe finished the day 3-4 from the plate with singles in three consecutive innings. Kyle Hannon and Nate Blasick ended the day with two RBIs apiece in the GoWags’ 7-0 triumph. However, their second matchup against Dynasty 13u would not go as well, as Dynasty flipped the score on the GoWags. This time, the GoWags were on the losing side of a 7-0 contest courtesy of a masterful complete game shut out by Dynasty’s starting pitcher, Masyn Winn. Winn struck out six, and was finally granted some run support in the 6^th inning in the form of back to back RBI triples by David Taylor and Joseph Jorge yielding four RBIs.

Through six innings, Aaron Tesei of the Dallas Mustangs-Sumbler held the Florida Burn Tampa scoreless. Florida Burn would score two runs in the top of the 7^th inning, but they could not overcome their six run deficit. Aiden Mendolia and Laki Ellis combined for three RBIs, while the Mustangs scored the other three courtesy of a wild pitch, an error, and a gutsy steal of home plate.

The East Cobb Astros blew the Myrtle Beach Pelicans out of the water 21-4. Surprisingly, the Pelicans had a 4-3 advantage over the Astros through four innings, but the Astros exploded for 18 runs in the 5^th and 6^th innings alone. Bryce Thompson had himself an outstanding afternoon at the plate, going a perfect 4-4 with four RBIs. With only one at-bat, Preston Welchel didn’t have many opportunities to make an impact on the game. However, he made the most of his opportunity with a three-run triple in the 6^th inning. Tee Webb and Brody Westbrooks both had magnificent outings on the mound, allowing only one earned run the entire game. The Astros continued to roll in their final game of the day against the Indiana Bulldogs. Tiger Borom shut down the Bulldogs’ offense for five scoreless innings as four different players on the Astros’ roster drove in one run apiece in a complete team effort for the 4-1 win.

Team Select was firing on all cylinders early against the Giants Baseball Club, scoring four runs in the first two innings. The Giants Baseball Club stormed back with a five run 3^rd inning, but their time on top only lasted an inning. Matthew Corpas sparked his team’s three run second wind with an RBI triple in the bottom of the fourth inning. Sean Shambo recorded the save in Team Select’s 7-5 win.

Excellent pitching by Teddy Sharkey was the difference in the Central Jersey Warrior’s 3-0 win over 643 DP Cougars-Sterling. Sharkey struck out six in a complete game shut-out. Jorden Jurkiewicz recorded the only RBI for the Warriors with a double to center field. Their other two runs were scored courtesy of an error and a wild pitch by the Cougars.

Will be updated later (weather delays):
Dynasty 13u vs Team Select
Richmond Braves 13u National vs FBH Angels 13u
Texas Express vs Tri-State Arsenal 13u

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Georgia Super Qualifiers Claimed
The East Cobb Astros and the Georgia Bombers (Hill) were able to emerge as the champions on Sunday at the 2018 PG Super25 13u and 14u Georgia Super Qualifiers.

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