EMERSON,
Ga. – We are now about halfway through the 2015 14u WWBA National
Championship, and the most exciting part is left to come. Nearing the
end of pool play there are only a handful of teams that are still
undefeated. Those teams came in to Monday's set of games with a huge
target on their back, but teams like the CBA Bulldogs embrace that
target. It pushes them to play to a higher level when they know that
teams are gunning for them, and in Monday afternoon’s game against
Team Demarini GA Gold, it would take great effort to come out with a
win under this blazing hot summer sun.
CBA
has traveled all the way from California to compete in this
prestigious national tournament, and along with one other team, they
are one of the only ones to make the trip from the Golden State. So
Cal NTT is the other, but the difference between these two teams is
that CBA handpicked all their players right in their home state of
California. With the exception of one player from Texas, they are all
Cali natives, and they are pretty much the opposite of the chill,
laid back stereotype that many Californians are associated with.
This
team is a fireball of energy throughout the entire game.
Their
dugout makes a lot of noise, and they are an upbeat group that could
rattle any opposing pitcher. And when they see you rattled, they get
even louder. This group plays the game extremely loose, and you can
see their smiles and hear their laughter throughout the entire game.
Even
though they come across as a rowdy group, their Head Coach, Joe
Spiers, makes sure they retain a sense professionalism and class.
Coach Spiers calls for his players to tuck in their shirts, show up
to games in their full uniform and wear polos and khaki shorts when
they’re traveling. They have a gentlemanly persona off the field
and are a rag-tag group of aggressive baseball players on the field.
Monday's
game against Team Demarini showed the true grit of the CBA Bulldogs,
and even though the Bulldogs won 9-0 in a game that was called early
due to the run rule, they had to stay locked in the entire game.
The
game started with CBA scoring an easy run off of Team Demarini trying
to backdoor a runner at second. The Bulldogs would load the bases,
but Demarini would fend off an early onslaught of runs and get out of
the inning with only one run of damage. The next inning, the Bulldogs
showed aggressiveness on the basepaths and tried to take home on a
throw to second, which scored them another run.
The
Bulldogs are a kind of team that never lets you catch your breath,
and every pitch offers them a chance for them to do some damage. The
Bulldogs would put up two in the second inning to make the score 3-0,
but their offense would stay dormant until the fifth inning.
In
the meantime, they cruised with their three-run lead behind the right
arm of Brandon Madrigral, who pitched his way to a complete game
shutout victory. Madrigal was very good at keeping the ball low
today and got a lot of ground ball outs. He only had three
strikeouts, but he made quick work of the Demarini hitters and
allowed just four hits. Madrigal had a presence on the mound today
and he is ready to be called on again if he is needed later on in
this tournament.
“My
mindset coming into this start was to just make sure I could get the
W so we could stay undefeated,” said Madrigal after the game. “With
this undefeated record, we really have a shot at making it all the
way. I just wanted to give us a chance to get to that next game.
“I
feel like we have both pitching and hitting, but to know that your
team has your back when you’re on the hill is a great feeling; it
relaxes you as a pitcher when you know they can have a big inning of
offense at any time. Every one of our starters has touched the ball
now, but I still feel like we have the arms to carry us for the rest
of the tournament.”
Even
though it was a low scoring game at first, the Bulldog offense would
make a late appearance in the fifth inning to put this game away. The
sparkplug to this offense on Monday was Jasiah Dixon. Dixon had a
bunt for a base hit in his first at-bat of the game, which
contributed to the Bulldogs’ early run scoring. Dixon showed that
he can really fly, tracking down balls in the outfield with ease and
going from first to third in the blink of an eye.
“In
the beginning , we had a little tussle with them, so I knew there was
going to be some conflict in this game, but I just stepped to the
plate like I usually do and just take till I get a strike,” Dixon
exclaimed. “Then I ended up getting pegged, and I was a little mad,
but I stayed focused and just let the game take its course.
“Bunting
is a huge part of my game because of my speed, and I’m glad that I
was able to utilize that today. Our dugout played a big role in this
game, and our team is young and energetic. We like to have fun and
pump each other up. We have been doing well in our local summer
league, so we were excited to come out here and face top
competition.”
Not
to mention, that huge six-run fifth inning was started by a line
drive single off the bat of the speedy Dixon.
The
Bulldogs have finessed their way to the top of Pool A, with a solid
40 runs scored and only seven runs allowed. They haven’t quite
found a team that can hang with them yet, but as the tournament goes
on they will find a team that will push them to their limit.
The
Bulldogs hope to continue this winning streak as this year’s 14u
WWBA National Championship continues, and Coach Spiers is ready to
lead them to victory.
“This
team is a good blend of character; every one of these guys likes to
go hard,” Coach Spiers said with a stern yet confident tone. “We
have been together about two years now and first off they weren’t
clicking, but watching the chemistry evolve has been fun to watch.
“In
today’s win, we got a great start out of Madrigal and a big inning
that carried us. This is a very high baseball IQ group, so it’s
nice to see these guys go out and do their thing without really being
coached. We need to improve on the basepaths, and just learn from our
mistakes. Everything is a work in progress.”