EMERSON, Ga. – The 2015 17u WWBA National Championship Qualifier has had an exciting round of pool play games and for some teams it all came down to Tuesday's final set of games. The pressure rose as these deciding games meant the difference between advancing to the playoffs and simply playing a consolation game. Once in the playoffs, any team has a chance to make a run at the championship, which guarantees a paid invitation to the 2015 WWBA National Championship, so the stakes are high for those eyeing that first place trophy.

There has been an interesting development in Pool C, as three teams entered Tuesday tied with the same record. Two of those teams squared off at the LakePoint complex in Emerson, Ga., and by the end of it, one would be seeing their championship hopes disappear. The 643 DP Jaguars and the Tampa Terror went head-to-head in what was a very intriguing matchup. Both teams had put up about the same amount of runs going into this game, and both teams knew that it would take everything that they had to come out with a win today.

Maximum effort was needed to come out with a win in today’s game, and almost every pitch mattered. This game was to be a pitcher’s duel between the Jaguars starter, Wyatt Hughes, and Tampa Terror’s starter, Christian James. This pitching matchup included a finesse style of pitching from Hughes and a power pitching style from James. Defense played a big role in this game, as there were big plays from both teams.

Hughes’ performance was quite impressive and he was able to show a bulldog mentality and get out of multiple jams. In the second inning, the Terror were threatening with the bases loaded and Hughes was able to get out of it. In the fourth and fifth innings, Hughes had to deal with runners in scoring position once again, but found ways to get out of those jams as well. Hughes flashed a low-80s fastball and kept it low. He topped out at 84 mph and was painting the corners whenever he could. He also had good sink on his fastball, as hitters had a hard time squaring him up.

What was most impressive was Hughes’ composure on the mound. When he faced adversity, he did not shy away from continuously pounding the zone and letting his defense work. Hughes did not have the best stuff today, but his perseverance was the theme in his five shutout innings.

Hughes did well, but he was outdone by Tampa Terror’s Christian James. James was absolutely dominant in his start today, throwing a complete game two-hit shutout in a very important game. James’ breaking ball was very sharp and was fooling hitters left and right, but it was his fastball that was causing the most trouble for the Jaguars. His fastball sat in the upper-80s, and he even hit 90 mph once or twice.

He was pitching very well, and when he wasn’t striking people out, he was allowing his defense to work behind him when he needed double-play balls. James has real strikeout stuff, and that was shown today in his 10 strikeout performance.

“Everything was working for me today,” James said after the game. “When I was ahead in the count, I would come with the curveball low in the dirt. I just wanted to throw strikes and let my defense work. I think our team really deserves a shot in the WWBA National Championship considering how we have played so far. I think we showed we deserved to be in the playoffs today.”

James did an outstanding job on the mound and his performance is what made the difference in this very close game. What may be even more impressive is that James threw this game on very little rest; he started the first game of the qualifier and stepped up when his team needed him today. James has verbally committed to a local junior college, but with his 90 mph velocity, a few Division I schools may be starting to take notice.

Aside from James’ performance, the Terror hitters finally started to come around at the plate whenever Hughes was taken out of the game. They were able to put up one run in each of the final two innings and came out with the 2-0 win. And Although James earned the victory for his performance, they will not advance to the playoffs.

Troy Post 70, from Troy, Ala., advanced out of their pool because they won the head-to-head matchup against the Terror, the first tiebreaker given their identical 4-1 records. However, that does not take away from the amazing baseball that the Terror played this week and in Tuesday's game. Head Coach Steve Sharts was proud of the way his boys played in this year’s 17u WWBA National Championship Qualifier and expects them to continue their success as the summer progresses.

“We played well all week, and everybody from top to bottom contributed,” Sharts said after the win. “Unfortunately, in our third game we slipped up and now we are in a position in which we may not advance. Either way, I am still proud of these guys and the way that they have been stepping up in these Perfect Game tournaments.

“A lot of our guys have been with me since the beginning and our program doesn’t hold huge tryouts looking for talent all over the country like some of these other programs do. With that in mind, I think it’s a huge accomplishment that these guys can go out and win games like this against such great competition.”

The Terror did very well in the Memorial Day at LakePoint tournament earlier this year and have posted a record of 8-2 in the last two PG tournaments. They may or may not be receiving a bid into the WWBA National Championship tournament coming up in the next couple of weeks, but if they do, be sure to pay attention to this exciting team from Tarpon Springs, Fla.