Walk-Off Win Leads Elite Squad Prime 2021 to 14U East Memorial Day Classic
Elite Squad Prime 2021 took home the championship at the 14U East Memorial Day Classic in walk-off fashion, edging out Evolution Elite in a 3-2 game.
In a pitching dominant championship, Evolution Elite came out of the gates swinging, as they strung together a double by Cameron Maruzzella and a walk by Brent Ostrander to allow Trenten Caples to bring in both runs by way of a single.
Down by two going into the bottom of the second, Elite Squad Prime 2021 began to close the deficit, as Kyle Tako scored off a single by Jayden Melendez to make it a 2-1 game.
Righthander Juhlien Gonzalez quieted the Evolution Elite bats, allowing two runs off four hits with nine strikeouts after relieving starting righthander Irving Carter after two innings of five-strikeout ball.
Elite Squad Prime 2021 capitalized in the fifth off a single by Marcus Franco to score Tako and tie the game at 2.
With a deadlock going into the bottom of the seventh, Bryan Loriga knocked a double down the left field line to bring home Franco and the title of WWBA 14U East Memorial Day Classic champions.
Evolution Elite’s third baseman, Luis Rivera took home the MV-Player, as Alejandro Rosario of Elite Squad Prime 2021 took home the MV-Pitcher for the tournament.
-Tiffany Seal
2017 14u WWBA Memorial Day East champions: Elite Squad Prime 2021
2017 14u WWBA Memorial Day East runner-up: Evolution Elite
2017 14u WWBA Memorial Day East MVP: Luis Rivera
2017 14u WWBA Memorial Day East MV-Pitcher: Alejandro Rosario (Not Pictured)
The Florida Pokers Underclass Navy beat the Elite Squad 15u Prime by a score of 4-2 in the 2017 WWBA 15u East Memorial Day Classic at JetBlue Player Development Complex.
It was a slow developing game, with only one run scored in the game’s first four innings. The Pokers then added to their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with three hit attack. They then added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to pad their 4-0 lead.
Elite Squad 15u Prime threatened in the top of the seventh, by scoring two runs after three straight hits to begin the inning. It wasn’t enough to push them ahead, as Poker’s closer Malikai Wickley was able to escape the jam with a double play to seal the victory for his squad.
The Pokers received a terrific start from Jonathan McMath, who threw five innings, giving up two hits, one walk and striking out four. It was McMath’s second outing of the tournament, pushing his final tournament stats to 8 2/3 innings, three hits, no earned runs and 11 strikeouts.
Opposing McMath on the mound was Nate Thomas, who surrendered three runs on four hits over five innings for Elite Squad 15u Prime.
Offensively, four separate players picked up RBIs for the Pokers, including Wickley, Tyler Hall, Edison Ramos and Robin Fernandez. Lucas Nido paced Prime with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate, driving in a run in the top of the seventh inning.
The MV-Player of the tournament was Alberson Mogollon Chacin, who went 5-for-12 (.417 average) at the plate with all of five of his hits going for doubles. He also added two RBIs and two stolen bases to his team’s efforts.
MV-Pitcher honors went to Joe Lopez, who went 9 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs, and striking out seven. Lopez’s efforts included a complete game, two-hit shutout against the Elite Squad 15u Select.
-Steven Walters
2017 15u WWBA Memorial Day East champions: Florida Pokers Underclass Navy
2017 15u WWBA Memorial Day East runner-up: Elite Squad 15u Prime
2017 15u WWBA Memorial Day East MVP: Alberson Mogollon Chacin
2017 15u WWBA Memorial Day East MV-Pitcher: Joe Lopez
The 16U final featured the Top Tier Roos 16U Americans and FTB-Tucci Sindone, with each club going through pool play unbeaten.
In the semifinals, the Roos scored nine runs in the final two innings to score 11-1 victory against Stealth 2019 Founders, while FTB took down the Caloosa Cats 13-7, thanks in large part to an eight-run fifth inning outburst to set up the championship matchup.
Behind a stellar pitching performance from Jackson Miller (2020, Trinity, FL), the Roos came out of top, defeating FTB 2-1 to take home the championship.
“FTB took some hits away from us with some great defense, and they were a heck of a team to play against, but our guys were equally good defensively,” Roos head coach Andy Fleischacker said.
“Jackson Miller gave it his all today, and he had an outstanding performance. He came through huge for us.”
FTB’s Kevin Martin (2019, Miami, FL) and Miller each hit a batter in the first inning, but fired scoreless first innings.
Cody Lee (2018, Largo, FL) singled to center with one out in the second inning for the Roos and moved up the second on a wild pitch. After a passed ball allowed Lee to move up to third, Leo Passley Jr. (2018, St. Petersburg, FL) grinded out a tough at-bat and grounded out to second to bring home Lee to make it 1-0.
FTB had a chance to answer in the bottom half, after Daniel Cantu singled to right and moved up on a wild pitch with two outs, but on a ball in the dirt on a walk, Roos catcher Scott Meitzler (2018, Tampa, FL) gunned down Cantu trying to advance to third to end the threat.
Raymond Sass (2019, Clearwater, FL) lined a single to center, setting up first and third with two outs, but Martin escaped further damage on a 4-6 fielder’s choice.
Chris Mondesi (2019, Brooklyn, NY) came on in relief for FTB in the fourth for Martin (3 IP, 1 ER, 2 K), and gave up a single to Tanner Mink (2019, Palm Harbor, FL) with one out.
Mink stole second, and Passley, Jr. drew a two-out walk, setting up Hunter Mink (2019, Palm Harbor, FL), who singled back up the middle to drive in his brother to make it 2-0.Roos.
In the sixth, FTB shortstop Keniel De Leon (2019, Orlando, FL) made a sparking play, going deep in the hole and nabbing Tanner Mink with a jump throw.
Miller cruised through the FTB lineup through five innings, only allowing two baserunners while striking out six batters, but allowed a leadoff double to Yeankarios Llears (2018, Carolina, PR) to left.
After a bunt moved Llears to third, Miller retired Mondesi on a grounder to third with help from a great pick at first by Lee.
Down in the count 0-2, Jacob Herbert (2019, Lakeland, FL) took advantage of a location mistake and lined a single to right to close the gap to 2-1.
Mondesi fired three scoreless frames from the fourth onward for FTB, and got another strong play in the hole from De Leon to end the top of the seventh.
Miller allowed a one-out single in the seventh to Cantu as he hit his pitch limit, and Kelvin Laroscain (2019, Winter Haven, FL) came on for the Roos in relief.
Laroscain struck out Tucker Marrilla on a 2-2 breaking ball, and Cantu got hung up in between first and second and was tagged out in a rundown to end the game.
“For us to come out in this first tournament with some great teams in it, beating the teams we did right of the bat is phenomenal. It’s the first time we’ve been out on the field together outside of intrasquads against each other, and we weren’t really sure how we’d mesh as a team but we played great team baseball all tournament and I’m really proud of the boys.”
Lee was named the top hitter of the tournament for the Roos, and Andrew Booth (2019, Palm Harbor, FL) took home top pitcher honors. For FTB, those same honors went to De Leon was the top hitter and Ricardo Rivera (2018, San Juan, PR).
-Bryan Cooney
2017 16u WWBA Memorial Day East champion: Top Tier Roos 16u American
2017 16u WWBA Memorial Day East runner-up: FTB Tucci-Sindone
2017 16u WWBA Memorial Day East MVP: Cody Lee
2017 16u WWBA Memorial Day East MV-Pitcher: Andrew Booth
In the 18U championship matchup, North East Baseball and FTB Tucci Jax 2018 rolled through pool play unbeaten and had to survive tight semifinal matchups in order to play for the title.
North East scored five first innings runs and held off Sharks Elite 2018 7-5 to advance to the final, and FTB used a steal of home to take down another of the FTB branch in FTB55 Tucci to win 3-2 in walk-off fashion to set up the final.
Thanks to a strong pitching effort from Jordan Schulefand and another big first inning, North East Baseball took down FTB 9-1 in six innings to take the title.
In the top of the first, North East Baseball had an early threat, after an error at shortstop, a hit batter and a wild pitch set up second and third for Derek Ripp (2017) bounced a grounder just inside the bag at first and drove in two runs with a triple to make it 2-0.
Ripp was nailed at home by FTB SS Kaeber Rog on a fielder’s choice, but a single by Ryan Ayrey and two more fielding errors made it a four-run first inning for North East.
Brandon Stone added to the North East lead in the second, with a two-out single to center, bringing in Esteban Cardoza to make it 5-0.
Ripp drove in his third run of the game with another extra base hit, doubling into the right field corner to make it 6-0.
North East kept the onslaught going in the third with three runs, including a Jared Pearson broken bat RBI single to center and a sacrifice fly by Evan Blum.
Rog put FTB on the board in the bottom half of the third, lining a two-out RBI single to center, bringing in Zach Miller.
Schulefand, signed to pitch at Richmond next season, had an impressive outing for North East, striking out 12 in the complete game effort.
He took home top pitcher honors for the event for North East, while Ripp was named top hitter.
North East, which is based out of New England, gathered a collection of kids from Florida, Arkansas, Georgia, Maryland, Kansas and Texas that hardly knew each other heading into the event, and head coach Jeff Sullivan feels like this type of atmosphere is one that these soon to be college freshman will be accustomed to when they hit their campuses in the fall.
“Something like this, they’ll remember down the line and stay connected with each other as they go off to college,” Sullivan said.
“We just mix and match kids that are done with high school ball, meet new people and just let them have fun playing ball.”
Sullivan noted that this particular group was one his favorites he has been around since he has been around the organization, and hopes that experiences like these will better prepare his players for what is next to come in their lives.
“That’s the best part of this whole deal, these kids will have to learn how to adapt to new teammates on the fly and come together. It really is a lot of fun for all of us.”
-Bryan Cooney
2017 18u WWBA Memorial Day East runner-up: FTB Tucci JAX 2018
2017 18u WWBA Memorial Day East MVP: Derek Ripp
2017 18u WWBA Memorial Day East MV-Pitcher: Jordan Schulefand
