13u
Titans stay perfect, capture 13u crown
Fort Myers, Fla. – Titans 13u capped off a 6-0 tournament weekend with a 9-7 victory over I AM UNITED 13u to secure the championship of the 13u age group in the Labor Day East tournament. The offense came alive late as they put up a six spot in the bottom of the fourth inning to ensure the comeback victory. The Titans went out to an early 3-0 lead which looked to be enough during the early part of the game before I AM UNITED stormed back with a seven run top of the third inning. You wouldn’t think that pitching would be a big part of a high scoring game but Brayden Harris came into the game late to right the ship as he allowed just one earned run over 2.1 innings to close out the affair. The top of the lineup got it done for the Titans as their top three hitters accounted for five of their nine runs scored and even though the hit column wasn’t as big as the runs column, the pressure put on by the offense can’t be understated as they collected nine base-on-balls during the game. Brayden Harris of the Titans came home with MVP honors as in addition to his heroic efforts on the mound he finished the weekend hitting .688 with eight runs scored, eight RBI, and three doubles. Ethan Wheeler, also of the Titans, came home with MV-Pitcher honors as he totaled 4.1 innings on the mound allowing only four hits and striking out nine.
14u
Legends get pitching performance to lead into championship
Fort Myers, Fla. – The Florida Legends downed the TBT Ballers by a final score of 4-2 to win the Labor Day East tournament for the 14u age group in what was a tightly contested ballgame throughout the affair. The Legends got a huge pitching performance from righthander Christian Miranda as he tossed a complete game and topped out at 79 mph to ensure the victory. Miranda put forth an admirable effort on the mound but he also helped himself out as after a passed ball scored one run he knocked in an RBI single in the top of the first to give himself a 2-0 lead heading into the rest of the game. Miranda came through once more in the fourth to pad the lead as a run-scoring double pushed the lead to 3-0 and TBT wouldn’t be able to score enough to come back. Things got a little dicey in the bottom of the fifth when the Ballers pushed across two runs to cut the lead to one but Miranda never wavered and a late run in the top of the seventh made for a relatively uneventful bottom of the seventh en route to victory for the Legends. Kelvin Perera of the Legends was awarded MVP honors as the catcher hit .600 for the weekend, knocking in six runs and scoring four himself. Rivers Kurland of the TBT Ballers was named MV-Pitcher thanks to a stellar outing earlier in the tournament where he went four runs with no earned runs, struck out nine hitters, and filled up the zone with a 65% strike rate.
Frosh
Jr’s Prospects walk-off Mets Scout Team to hoist trophy
Fort Myers, Fla. – Jr’s Prospects looked to have blown the lead in the top of the seventh but that only provided an opportunity as in the bottom half they were able to push across the winning run to win the Freshman division of the Labor Day East by a final score of 2-1. The Prospects had the lead in the middle innings when they pushed across a run in the bottom of the fourth and the extra run in the seventh was just enough to be able to go home champions after a hard-fought battle. Both starting pitchers were locked in early but Kyle Klaric of the Prospects was exceptional, turning in five shutout innings with nine strikeouts before he had to depart due to pitch count. Maddix Simpson had a big day offensively, leading the charge with three out of the four hits for the Prospects and always seeming to come up with a big knock to sway the momentum. Simpson, coincidentally, had the biggest hit of the afternoon as he walked it off with a ground ball single to the left side to bring in the winning run and start the celebration. Dylan Fatovich of the Mets Scout Team was named MVP as he was a problem at the top of the lineup, getting on base at a clip of .579 to go along with eight runs scored and six stolen bases. Jason Belio of the Prospects was named the MV-Pitcher of the event as he tossed a complete game shutout in the semifinals with just one hit allowed over five innings to go along with five strikeouts.
-Vinnie Cervino
Sophomore
Ostingers 2023 rides great pitching to perfect weekend
Fort Myers, Fla. – It was a rain-filled weekend that pushed the entirety of the playoffs to Monday morning, but the Ostingers Baseball Academy 2023 team wasn’t phased as they pushed across three wins on Labor Day to take home the title with a perfect 6-0 record.
While the offensive performance was strong in a number of their games, it was the pitching throughout the weekend that got the job done, especially in their second pool play game and first playoff game where the score ended at just 1-0 in their favor. Allowing just four hits in their three playoff games, the combined effort of Trey Wilson, Preston Rogers, Bryan Rivera, Adrian Rolon and Jacob Magadan was as impressive as it gets for a playoff pitching performance.
Rivera, who threw the entire semifinal game for the Ostingers, took home MV-Pitcher honors with a combined eight innings on the week with no earned runs allowed and just two hits to six strikeouts. Ariel Antigua, playing for the runner-up Resmondo, took home MVP honors with a weekend long .714 average (10-for-14), including four extra-base hits and ten runs driven in.
Underclass
Cannons Baseball Academy nearly shuts out weekend to claim Labor Day Underclass title
Fort Myers, Fla. – A roster loaded with high-end arms didn’t disappoint as they claimed the underclass title in near shutout fashion.
Across six games, the Cannons pitching staff turned out a shutout in each game until the championship, where they allowed just a single run that would be their only allowed of the tournament. Pitchers David Rossow, Erik Blair, Jake Clemente, Brandon Barriera, Antonio Correa, Brandon Gonsalves and Alex Walsh all turned in stellar performances throughout the weekend, including some with multiple appearances in both pool play and the playoffs.
MVP Santiago Ordonez handled the catching duties for most of the weekend and although hitting just .286 on the weekend, was impactful in driving in six runs, scoring five times and leading from behind the dish. Jack Owens, who threw a no-hitter with ten strikeouts in the Ostingers’ quarterfinal game that was 0-0 into extra innings, took home MV-Pitcher honors.
Upperclass
Florida Rebels hit their way to the Labor Day Upperclass title
Fort Myers, Fla. – It was no surprise coming into the event that the Rebels roster could swing the bat and it held true all the way through the championship game where they would win the title handedly.
After a pair of close games in their quarterfinal and semifinal matchups where clutch hitting from Ryan Waldschmidt, Mason Janz, Camden Sprague and Zeth Rodriguez were the deciding factors, the entire lineup came through for the championship win while Corey Braun and Aaron Deegan got the job done on the mound allowing just a single hit.
MVP Ryan Waldschmidt finished the tournament with a .500 average with four of his seven hits coming in the form of extra-base hits while also driving five runs and scoring six times himself. The MV-Pitcher of the event, Dawson Ball from runner-up ELEV8 Select, threw a no-hitter in their quarterfinal matchup, scattering three walks and picking up five strikeouts.
-Tyler Russo