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Tournaments  | Championship | 9/23/2019

NBS takes Southeast Qualifier 2

Photo: Nelson Baseball School (Perfect Game)

MARIETTA, Ga. – With one final bid from Georgia to the 2019 WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, this weekend meant more to some then it did to others. Most teams played all summer looking for that golden ticket, many fell short with only a few completing the feat. This weekend was no different in that many came up just short. But in all the failure, one last opportunity showed its face.

Nelson Baseball School took that opportunity and made the most of it as they came into the weekend as a team on a mission. They came out swinging as they steamrolled through pool play run-ruling teams as well as beating teams by the slimmest of margins to remain undefeated. They would eventually make their way into bracket play on the weekend unbeaten and earn that paid invitation to Jupiter with a tight 1-0 victory over a talented Team Elite 2020 Black squad.

Miguel Encarnacion got the start for Nelson Baseball School and he brought a bulldog mentality to the mound, filling up the strike zone, striking out two batters and giving up only one hit during his three innings pitched. His heater topped out at 86 mph as he blew away a star-studded Team Elite Black lineup.

Opposing Encarnacion was Dalton Strickland, who got the start for Team Elite Black and he showed no signs of backing down as the righty went right after hitters getting swings-and-misses, striking out a pair in his three innings of work. The projectable righthanded pitcher, who is uncommitted, proved that he was not scared to go to battle and did everything he could to put Team Elite in a position to win the championship.

With no runs being scored in the first five innings, Nelson Baseball School got a leadoff walk in the top of the sixth inning. After some savvy baserunning and timely hitting, Jack Ryan Wingler stepped up to the dish. Showing patience and waiting for a good pitch to hit, he singled to right field and drove in the only run scored by either team in the game.

Heading into the later innings, the man of the hour on the mound for Nelson Baseball School was Colby James. The righty would go on to shove for four innings and give up only two hits. He did get hit around a bit but his defense played lights out. He showed great poise knowing when to pitch around some big bats in the opposing lineups and when to go right at hitters.

Defensively, Nelson Baseball School third baseman Carson Bell came up big, making some impressive plays during crunch time. Late in the game, he made a play to his backhand side down the line that would have dropped jaws in big league ball parks. He went down to a knee knocking the baseball down before getting up and firing an absolute missile across the diamond to save a run and get them out of a jam. In the bottom of the seventh, with NBS holding a 1-0 lead, the leadoff hitter for Team Elite Black laid down a perfect bunt. Bell charged in hard and scooped it up barehand before firing a shot from a low arm angle right on the money to get the runner.

That play was the first out of the inning. After a couple of pop ups, Nelson Baseball School ended the game as champions of the 2019 WWBA Southeast Qualifier #2 while earning the coveted bid to Jupiter.

Earlier on Sunday during semifinal play, Nelson Baseball School beat up on a different Team Elite squad – Team Elite 2021 Black – to advance to the championship game with a 12-1 victory. In the other semifinal contest, Team Elite 2020 Black went 10 innings after scoring three runs in the top of the seventh inning to force extra innings. They ended up scratching and clawing their way back to a victory to push them to a championship game.

Preston Joye was named MVP of the event. Joye went 6-for-10 (.600) with two doubles, a triple and five total RBIs during a perfect 5-0 stretch for Nelson Baseball School. NBS' Leo Giannoni was named the event's Most Valuable Pitcher after tossing a complete game shutout in their 5-0 quarterfinal win over Coastal Prospects Underclass in which he allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out eight. That win was Nelson Baseball School's first of three on Sunday as part of their championship run.



2019 WWBA Southeast Qualifier #2 runner-up: Team Elite 2020 Black



2019 WWBA Southeast Qualifier #2 MVP: Preston Joye



2019 WWBA Southeast Qualifier #2 MV-Pitcher: Leo Giannoni






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