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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/26/2019

GA experience brings wins in IA

Annika Wall     
Photo: Max Graetz (Perfect Game)

MARION, Iowa – Out of the 392 teams that traveled to Cartersville, Georgia for the WWBA 16u National Championship, seven have made the trek to Iowa. Those seven teams have amassed a record of 9-0-1 at the inaugural WWBA 16u Prospect Meadows National Championship.

"It’s always good to start off on a win. It puts a good vibe through the team,” Matt Bitter, St. Louis Pirates 2021 head coach, said. “Everybody is in a good mood and I hope we can keep it rolling tomorrow.”

In their first game of the tournament, Pirates 2021 erupted to a 9-2 victory over East Baseball Academy. Second baseman Sami Haddad led St. Louis with two hits, while catcher Matthew Howard and extra hitter Kaden Siebert drove in two runs apiece.

Also starting off day one of the tournament with a win was Prospect Training Academy. PTA held the Illinois Indians CHI scoreless for seven innings. Offensively, PTA’s Ethan Sawyer scored one in the sixth to take the lead. Sawyer also hit a double in the seventh, driving in two of PTA’s four runs. Max Graetz earned the win on the mound, only allowing four hits and striking out four.

“We kind of knocked off the cover of it late in the game. It was a battle,” head coach Mike Thrun said. “Max threw a really good game and he competed in the strike zone really well. Our last tournament we got off to a rough one where we lost 11-4. Being able to come out here and throw up a zero for seven innings makes me go home happy.”

Three of the top four teams from WWBA 16u WWBA National Championship in Georgia came from Arizona, Georgia and Texas. However, one of the teams is housed right in the Midwest. Illinois-based Cangelosi Sparks 2021 Black earned a 10-1 record and semifinal finish in Georgia. Now, they’ve blazed to a 2-0 record in Iowa, posting 8-0 and 4-3 wins in pool play.

In Georgia, It looked as though Cangelosi blazed through the early parts of the tournament, bringing 58 runs across home plate. However, head coach Dean Anna noted that the Sparks were behind in nine of their 11 tournament games and had to fight back for nearly every win.

“You can’t take those innings off. If we did, maybe we would have lost,” Anna said. “We’re starting to grow as baseball players and understand the game is more than speed, power, quickness. They’re starting to move where the pitch is, the pitchers are pitching better and they’re learning to be better baseball players.

“We played such team baseball that it was really exciting and impressive to watch as a coach. They always had each other’s backs. Those guys fighting back and staying in the game, I tip my cap to them.”

Other Georgia participants who are in Iowa include MN Icemen Gominsky, MN Starters, Illinois Dynasty Black Karch and the St. Louis Pirates. During the first game of the tournament, the Icemen defeated Next Level Baseball 13-4, while the Pirates took the day’s last game 9-0.

Additionally, the Starters won their first game, 4-2, over Rawlings Xtreme – Sinovich and their second 7-3 over Pro Player Canes – Kostalek. Illinois Dynasty Black Karch also played two games, starting off with a scoreless tie against Recruits Baseball before concluding with a 7-1 over Go Pro 2021. 
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