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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/26/2019

643 advances to bracket play

Jack Nelson     
Photo: Colin Stewart (Perfect Game)

MARIETTA, Ga. – The sleeves were optional, but winning was not. On a sunny Friday afternoon, the 6-4-3 DP Jaguars 16u Mang defeated the Ocean State Makos, 8-0, to improve to 3-0 and clinch their spot in bracket play at the Perfect Game 16u Summer Showdown.

This season, the Cincinnati Reds have donned their 1960s throwback sleeveless jerseys on a couple occasions. The look has gained a lot of attention throughout the media. Players have been bringing barbells into the dugout to do bicep curls before going out to their positions. It’s something the 6-4-3 boys have been wishing to do for a long time.

Well, Friday’s forecast was 90 degrees and sunny. Not a cloud in the sky. It was a perfect day to even out the farmer’s tan.

“It’s our last tournament, and we’re a team that likes to have fun,” winning pitcher Colin Stewart said of the uniform choice. “We’ve been wanting to do it all season. We decided this was a great day to do it.”

“I always let the kids pick their uniforms,” coach Rick Mang said. “And this team deserves that right. They’ve been so responsive to coaching. All summer, they’ve been respectful of the umpires and respectful of their opponents. They’ve earned the right to have a little fun.”

Friday’s matchup featured the top two teams in Pool D. The Makos had come in 2-0 with an impressive run differential of 17-2. For 6-4-3, the Showdown is their last tournament of the summer and Mang had already decided they were not going to take a consolation game. So it was truly a win or go home situation for the Jaguars. A lot of times in travel baseball you never know what team is going to show up, but the Jaguars competed with a palpable sense of urgency.

“They came out jacked. I could tell they were really excited to play,” Mang said. “And we executed a lot of the little things like getting bunts down. Our starting pitcher hit his spots. When that happens, things are probably going to work out for you.”

Stewart was outstanding in his five innings of work. The righty allowed just three hits, struck out three and walked no one. He pounded the zone with his low 80s fastball and let his defense work behind him. The infield play of Kyle Carlson, Aiden Cloud, Jonathan Laverde, and Charlie Condon dazzled all game. Condon in particular made some fantastic picks at first base on a pretty choppy surface.

“It’s something we pride ourselves on at 6-4-3,” Mang said. “We work as hard on infield play as anyone in the country. It’s really fun to watch those guys help their pitcher out, and that only gives the guy on the mound more confidence.”

“They’ve been great all season,” Stewart said. “At this point, I’m just used to it. They always make great plays behind me.”

While pitching and defense stood out, the offense also put on quite a show. The Jaguars put up 12 hits, and were led by Carlson, Matt Shook, and Matt Anthony. Carlson was 2-for-3 with a run. Shook was 2-for-3 with a triple, and Anthony was 2-for-2 with another run added.

“These guys hit as well as any group I’ve had in eight years coaching with the organization,” Mang said. “It doesn’t matter if the pitcher is throwing 90 mph or 70 mph, they just hit. I think we have a real shot at this thing.”

Mang’s team is trying to finish out the summer strong and add another banner to the collection that hangs at Aviation Park. The program just captured the 17u Summer Showdown. The overall quality of all the 6-4-3 teams creates quite an environment for development.  A title at the 16u event would be the perfect ending to long yet productive tournament season.

“If we keep playing like this, we can win it all,” Stewart said. “Our pitching and hitting have been great. We’ll win any game we score eight runs. We just need to keep it rolling.”
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