As it turned out, Thursday’s game at the Triple Crown 13u World Series between the Nebraska Bison and the Nevada Golden Spikes Pirates would not send either squad into the upper 16-team bracket, where a double-elimination journey awaits to determine the event’s overall champion.
So it helps when there are entertaining and hard-fought battles along the way, moments to file away as memories if the goals of coming to Steamboat Springs have to be modified. For the Golden Spikes Pirates, they at least can say they played a lot of close games – so close, the team finished with three ties in three pool play games, the last one an 8-8 roller coaster ride versus the Nebraska Bison at Adams Field. The Pirates climbed off the canvas in the last game, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Consecutive singles from Brenden Haney, Tyler Stott and Jake Oscarson set the table and brought one run in, with the final tally coming across on a sacrifice fly from Dallin Smith. “It’s like, we know we can win and are about to win, because we had three ties. We’re right there, about to find that winning category, and we’re persistent and know how to work together,” said Oscarson, who had a big two-run triple in the fifth and was able to trot home on an error when the throw to third went into the dugout. “We’re still not satisfied, so we’ll work harder and try to get that win. I was at the plate (before the triple), imagining myself hitting the ball in the gap, crushing it and helping my teammates. I knew it was going to happen – I was so pumped.” Trailing 7-6 in the sixth inning, the Pirates got the leadoff hitter on, and a bunt moved him to second base. Coach Garrett Smith waved the runner to third when the base was left undefended, but the Bison recovered just in time to ring up an unusual double play. “We have battled every single game; in each of those ties, we’ve come back … the guys are resilient and fight, and I think they feel there is some magic in the air here in Steamboat Springs,” coach Smith said. “We’ve been together since 9u, and this is our last tournament together as a team. I think they are trying to do it for their teammates. “We had that opportunity in the sixth there, got aggressive and took a chance, and it didn’t work out. That took the wind out of our sails a bit, but once we got to the last inning, we felt we had an opportunity to come back. That other team was really good, gave up just one walk, so we said don’t look for a walk. We were up on hits, and I said, keep that mentality of one base hit at a time, we’ll be good.” Giving up that lead made the tie less pleasurable for the Bison, who had a 7-3 advantage after the top of the fifth inning. In that frame, after a leadoff flyout to right field, the Bison got hits from Jordan Smith, Maddux Fleck, Logan Shirk and Carson Baker – after a pitching change, two more hits came off the bats off Aiden Rupprecht and Landon Meyer. That all resulted in four runs, and the Bison scored one more in the seventh. “It was really intense in the fifth; you could feel everybody’s emotions going up, and that was pretty great,” said Rupprecht, who hit a monstrous solo home run in the third and doubled in the fifth. “I was happy to get my team back in the game.” “We didn’t get done what we wanted to accomplish, which was to get in the top bracket. We’ve got to get the kids to understand it’s a whole new tournament now,” said Bison coach Travis Meyer. “There will be some good teams in the middle bracket, so the goal is to go win it. “We try to teach them, the numbers don’t lie and the deeper you get in the count, the harder it is to hit. We try to be aggressive on first-pitch fastballs, let the breaking balls go, and since they are 13, sometimes they’re good at it and sometimes they’re not.” Meyer had two hits from the leadoff spot; Emerson Dolph had a double and a run, and Dalton Bargo also drove in a run. The second day of pool play at the Triple Crown World Series in Steamboat, Colorado, was about more than baseball for the 13u Saddleback Cowboys. Honoring the memory of their father, Cole and Connor Dietch carried the California-based team to a wild 17-11 victory Thursday over the Fast 45’s.
“I just wanted to make my dad proud,” said Cole Dietch. “I think we all miss him a lot and we both wanted to make him proud, especially today.” It was exactly one year ago to the day that the twin brothers were enjoying a trip to Cooperstown. Steve Dietch, the boys’ father, lost his battle with cancer while his sons were playing the game they loved. On the anniversary of his passing, it didn’t take long for the Dietch boys to make a huge impact on the game and celebrate their father’s life in style. Already leading by a run in the top of the first inning, Cole Dietch stepped to the plate with two runners on base. Dietch promptly rocketed a towering bomb over the left field fence, catapulting his team to a 5-0 lead. “I really wanted to put a good swing on the ball.” said Dietch. “I was trying to keep my mind clear and focus on scoring those runs to get an early lead.” The game turned on a dime, however, when the 45’s came to bat in the bottom half of the first inning. Of the 10 players in the lineup, six saw their second at-bat before the end of the inning. When the Cowboys finally tallied the third out, 11 runs had crossed the plate, giving the lead to the 45’s, 11-5. Even though Cole Dietch had already homered, his team and his brother weren’t about to let the thought of a loss creep in their minds and ruin the day. Chase Christner immediately brought a run home in the second inning with an RBI single, and a passed ball scored a second run to bring Saddleback within four. Nearly a carbon copy situation to the first inning, Connor Dietch approached the plate with two on and a chance to cut into the 45’s lead. Not to be outdone by his brother, Connor laced a ball over the center fielder’s head and raced around the base paths for an inside-the-park home run. “In my first at-bat, I felt like I missed a pitch that I could drive,” said Connor. “Cole got up and hit a home run so I told myself I had to do something. I hit a curveball a long way and when coach waved me home I was happy to tie up my brother in home runs for the day.” Back in the ballgame, head coach Richard Mercado went to Jacob Tyler to smooth things down on the mound. Tyler pitched four low-stress innings, totaling three strikeouts while shutting down the Fast 45’s offense. “Jacob was the fireman today,” said Mercado. “We brought him in because he can throw strikes and compete. That kid does so well, he competes every time he steps on the field.” Riding Tyler’s momentum, Saddleback tied up the score in the third inning when Aiden Mcdowell crossed home plate on a passed ball. After a quiet fourth inning, who else but Cole Dietch arrived at the plate looking to take advantage of the now even contest. Dietch, already with a home run and a double in his two previous at-bats, took use of a triple to leadoff the inning, coming around to score on the next at-bat from Trent Liolios. “These guys feed off each other,” said Mercado. “It was something special to watch the guys embrace Cole and Connor like that. Those are two special athletes and for them to play like they did today was pretty cool to watch.” Connor took his turn to produce some insurance runs in the sixth inning. His two-RBI single made it 15-11 in favor of the Cowboys. Two batters later, Cole only needed a single to complete the cycle, a feat he would complete while also scoring Luke Lavin to match the largest lead of the game for the away side, 16-11. Standing three outs away from the Cowboys’ second win of the tournament, Mercado turned to Cole Dietch to finish things out. With his brother Connor assuming the catching duties, the two looked like kids playing in their back yard. “I love it when my brother catches for me,” said Dietch. “We’ve done this a million times as kids, and I wouldn’t want anyone else behind the plate.” Cole did walk a pair of batters, but inevitably secured three strikeouts, claiming the save, the victory and capping off a memorable day on the diamond for him and his brother. While the Cowboys will earn the likely No. 1 seed out of its pool, the win combined with Cole and Connor’s play leaves a larger impact. “It was a special day to play,” said Cole Dietch. “Hopefully we made him proud and made him happy. We were glad to honor him by playing the sport he taught the both of us.” After a long summer of baseball and a bunch of travel to make it happen, some teams reach their last events in July carting along some beat-up uniforms and a bit of fatigue.
But the sight of the diamond is a stone-cold inspiration for the ABQ Guns 13u team, which wrapped up a 3-0 trip through pool play Thursday at the Triple Crown World Series in Steamboat Springs. Taking on the Orlando Reds, another team that stood 2-0 after two games, the Guns ran wild at Adams Field and posted a 16-7 victory to secure what should be a top-four seed when the brackets are announced later Thursday. The Guns jumped ahead 5-0 after one inning and really never looked back, although a cluster of five walks and assorted errors and balks opened the door for the Reds to ring up six runs in the fourth inning. But by then, the New Mexico squad already had plated 14 runs and even tacked on two more in the fourth. “These kids are amazing. We’re finishing off the season here, and they are working hard and playing as a team. That’s all we’ve asked them to do, and it’s coming together,” said ABQ Guns coach Nate Pollock. “They were excited, playing a team from Florida, and they knew it would be tough. But they were ready. We have been on fire with the bats – they’ve been practicing hard. It’s been going good, and I hope that will continue throughout the rest of the tournament.” David Cooper led off the game with a double for the Guns, and with the bases loaded Jordan Martinez drove in two runs with a single. A bit later, with the bases loaded again, Aiden Pollock dumped a single to score two, with one more coming across when the Reds cut off the throw from the outfield and took a little too much time catching Pollock in a rundown. “We’re doing pretty good right now – we’re all working as a team,” Aiden said. “It felt good hitting and getting those three runs in. We felt that we can compete with anyone out here.” The Guns sent 11 batters to the plate in the third inning, starting with four straight hits and continuing with two walks and a hit batter. Jordan Rodriguez had a sacrifice fly, Moises Abeyta and Daniel Gutierrez each had run-scoring singles, and Martinez drove in another run with a double. “Our bats were hot today, and the defense was hot, too. We kept hitting the ball very well,” Martinez said. “We kept them out of our head and hit the ball. We’re pretty confident because we won our pool and got the three (wins).” Cooper scored three runs and reached base in all four of his at-bats; Abeyta drove in two runs. For the Reds, Cam Anstey singled, stole two bases and scored in the third inning, while Brady Henderson reached base twice and drove in a run. Eight teams emerged with perfect 3-0 records after pool play during two days of action at the Triple Crown 13u World Series in Steamboat Springs, Colo., putting them at the top of the double-elimination 16-team bracket that will take flight Friday morning at various sites.
The top-seeded team is the Colorado Naturals, who scored 49 runs and allowed just 10 in their three games. They will take on No. 16 Michigan Blue Jays at 9:45 a.m. Friday. The No. 2 seed is the ABQ Guns, and they will face No. 15 Slammers-Asnicar at 2:15 p.m. Getting the No. 3 seed was Building Champions (KS), with the Northern Colorado Storm securing the No. 4 position. Rounding out the top eight are Team Colorado Altitude, Millard Elite (NE), River Bandits (WA) and EBA Baseball (CA). In the Christie Peak Bracket (teams 17 through 32), the highest seed went to Dallas Tigers-Hernandez. Right behind them are the Orlando Reds, Menifee Yard Dogs (CA) and Lubbock Raiders (TX). The top seed in the Yampa bracket (teams 33-46) is the Utah Horns. Opening day of the 2017 Triple Crown World Series in Steamboat, Colorado, wasn’t particularly kind to the 13u Texas Patriots. An 0-2 start to the tournament left Nick Camp’s team in a tough spot, but his boys responded in a big way on Thursday afternoon, taking victory by the horns over the Golden State Sliders, 19-2.
“The biggest thing that we preached last night after the games and this morning is that we wanted to compete,” said Camp. “We wanted to make sure that we were doing the right things on and off the baseball field, and the kids did a good job of that today.” Golden State came out firing right away against the Patriots. A double combined with a walk and a hit-by-pitch brought in the game’s first run. With the bases loaded for the second time in the opening inning, Texas was faced with a tough situation with only one out. Starting pitcher Nicholas Tanguma breathed a little easier when his middle infield turned its first double play of the contest, ending the inning. “Our pitchers did a great job of forcing bad contact,” said Camp. “We practice those things every day and it was nice to see it executed.” Trailing by one, Tanguma got things goingin the bottom of the second inning with a lead-off single. Texas’ offense snowballed as five of the next six batters reached aboard safely, including a two-RBI single from Gabe Garner. The Patriots pushed across four total runs, taking its first lead of the game, 4-1. “I think getting out of that bases loaded jam and giving up only one run really shifted the momentum to our side,” said Simon Hughes, who was a perfect 3-3 at the dish. “It energized our dugout, got things rolling and really carried on from there.” Tanguma watched his defense work for him a second time in the bottom half of the second inning. Again with the bases loaded, the Patriots defense then turned a nifty 1-2-3 double play to end the frame. As the pendulum of momentum swung fully towards the Texas side of the field, the Patriots offense continued what it has started an inning earlier. Ten total batters came to the plate in the third inning, including Travis Brick who finished with four hits, four RBI and two runs scored. “I saw a lot of inside fastballs that just looked perfect to me,” said Brick. “I just wanted to get ahead of it and drive somewhere deep.” Six more runs crossed home plate as Texas took a commanding grip of the game, 10-1. The third inning would not be complete without the Patriots’ third double play of the contest. Putting the clamps on the inning once again, the Texas defense cashed in a double play of the 6-4-3 variety. “Those guys are fun to watch,” said Hughes. “They work really well together and I think we all have a lot of fun when we’re playing like this.” While the defense remained stellar for the Patriots in the fourth inning, turning its fourth double play, the offense also continued to be stout, grabbing three runs in the fourth and an additional six in the fifth, stretching the Texas lead, 19-1. Needing just three outs to secure the win, Nick Camp went to Adrien Pacheco to seal the deal. Though Pacheco did surrender a run, he managed to find the final out via a strikeout to end the contest, 19-2. “We preach about controlling three things in our organization,” said Camp. “If we can bring our effort, our attitude and our energy firing at all cylinders, we’re going to have a chance to compete.” An action-packed week of baseball continues at the 2017 Triple Crown World Series in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. After an exciting round of pool play, the playoff brackets in the 11u division have filled as each team gears for a deep run in the double- elimination format.
The Utah Grays came away with the number one overall seed in the Mt. Werner Championship bracket. Starting off perfect thus far, the Grays have outscored its opponents 36-1 across three games. Five other teams came away with perfect 3-0 records in pool play. Dallas Tigers-Bergman, the Oklahoma Mudcats, Stix Black, OC Hawks and the Salt Lake Heat join the Grays as the undefeated teams in the top bracket. Narrowly missing out on the Mt. Werner Bracket, the SoCal Bombers take the number one seed in the Christie Peak Bracket while the Montbello Mayhem earned rights to the number one seed in the Yampa Valley Bracket. Games begin at 7:30 a.m. across Steamboat Springs and its local fields. The double-elimination style will whittle down to championship matchups Sunday in each bracket. Check out the full bracket (HERE). Capitalizing on mistakes from its opponent, the El Monte Dukes took a good first step in the 2017 Triple Crown 11u World Series in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
The Wednesday afternoon matchup against Building Champions had a little bit of everything for the Dukes. A couple innings of good pitching, two big innings of offense, and even a lightning storm cruised through the complex. All combined, El Monte came away victorious, 8-4. “We did okay today,” said head coach Jorge Almeda. “Our pitching was on, our defense made the right plays. We didn’t hit as well as I’d like, but we were able to make them pay for their mistakes and I’m happy with the win.” It didn’t take long for the scrappy group of kids from California to jump out on top. After a 1-2-3 inning from starting pitcher Josh Almeda, the Dukes went right to work at the dish. Chris Rodriguez led the opening frame off with a sharp single to center field. Two walks, two stolen bases and two passed ball later, all of the sudden El Monte had plated three runs, taking the early lead. “I was thinking base hit the whole time,” said Chris Rodriguez. “Our coaching staff likes us to be very aggressive. We really wanted to get that early lead.” Now with a sizable advantage, it was up to Josh Almeda to protect it. Through two full innings, Almeda was nearly perfect, allowing just one base runner and striking out three Building Champions’ batters. “I just tried to keep my confidence out there,” Almeda said. “When I got my first couple of outs, I really started to settle down and just told myself that I could do this.” It was then the lightning arrived, delaying the game for a half an hour. The delay, among many things, gave ample time for coaches and teams to re-assess strategy and re-energize. For the Dukes, Josh Almeda came out with a strong top half of the third inning, setting up for a monstrous bottom half of the frame. Four walks, five stolen bases, two hits and a RBI from both Anthony Guitierrez and Derek Almeda totaled five runs for El Monte, taking a commanding grip of the contest, 8-0. Building Champions wasn’t about to go away lightly, though. Responding quickly and vigorously, Building Champions muscled together a pair of hits with runners in scoring position to get three runs back, closing the gap on the Dukes. “At that point we just had to remember what we had learned in practice,” said Rodriguez. “We had been in these types of situations before. We just had to stay in the game and not get ahead of ourselves.” With time running out in the fifth inning and Derek Almeda on the Mound, Building Champions was down to its final three outs. Two hits pushed one run across, narrowing the score, 8-4, but Almeda and the Dukes remained poised, grabbing the final out with a grounder to third base. “We’re getting to the end of the summer,” said Josh Almeda. “I think we all just want to leave everything we have on the field here in Steamboat.” Although the Dukes dropped its second pool play contest to Slammers-Audino, El Monte will get one more chance to impress fans in Steamboat with a game against the Dallas Tigers on Thursday morning before bracket play begins. “I fully expect this team to come out and hit,” said coach Almeda. “It’s what we normally do and what the kids love doing.” When the moment arrived Wednesday to fire up for a tough tournament, the Saddleback Cowboys Black (CA) felt a little watered down, truth be told.
But there was time to make things right for the team at the 11u Triple Crown World Series in Steamboat Springs, Colo., and the Cowboys figured it out on time to register an 8-2 victory over the Houston Pioneers at Ski Town South field. The Cowboys can go to 2-1 in pool play with a victory Thursday evening against the CC Bruins (CO). A 7-0 loss to the Kansas City Dirt Dogs to start Wednesday was a mood sinker, but some conversation and the overall belief in the roster was enough to change the vibe. The Cowboys scored seven runs in the first two innings and kept the Pioneers at arm’s length after a short rain delay. “It was a slow start, and we weren’t prepared to come out and play baseball. But ultimately, it’s 11u baseball,” said Cowboys coach Neil Santos. “Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don’t. I like the way they bounced back. Second game, they were able to swing the bats a little bit. We’re not where we want to be, but we are heading in the right direction.” With batters up and down the 13-man order chipping in with good swings, the Cowboys were in good shape from the start. Holding up on his job was pitcher Wyatt Haynoian, who pitched three innings and struck out four, stranding runners on second and third in the second and giving up an unearned run in the first inning. “We were really mad we lost that first game, and then we came back and attacked,” Haynoian said. “We played well. I don’t throw too hard, but I throw strikes, and when you throw strikes you get outs. The defense did great, and it really pumps me up when (the offense scores early). It helps us get the win.” “Wyatt is a very calm kid, and you’re not going to get him shaken up. He’ll get out there and compete, throw strikes, and he’s very successful at what he does,” Santos said. “Wherever you put him, he’s a successful athlete, and we’re glad to have him on our team.” Landon Stewart had two hits and two runs for the Cowboys; Chase Klingemann reached base twice and drove in a run, Jake Lavin had two hits and a run scored, and Cole Grey singled, scored and drove in a run. “I didn’t feel good about the first game, but the second game we came back and did really well,” said leadoff hitter Tyler Covington, who hit the ball well three times, stealing two bases and scoring once. “I like getting to hit first, getting more at-bats … my approach is to watch the first pitch and be ready for the second pitch.” For the Pioneers, Javier Rodriguez had two hits; Donny O’Brien walked, stole a base and scored in the third. Triple Crown’s 11u World Series represents the final tournament during a grueling summer of baseball for Dallas Tigers-Bergman. Though, with the way the team came out of the gates during pool play on Wednesday, you’d think they were in mid-season form.
Cruising past Building Champions, 16-0, aided by a walk-off home run from Caleb Hoover, the Tigers matched up against the Centennial State natives, Slammers-Audino. Despite a drop in its offensive production, Dallas utilized its stout defense to roll through the Slammers, 4-0, kicking off the tournament on the right foot. “They came out today ready to play,” said head coach Brett Bergman. “I love the way they swung the bat in the first game. They just got after it, hit a lot of gaps and made the right plays. “Our pitchers were excellent in both games. I’m really proud of those guys coming out, throwing strikes and letting the defense play.” The Tigers’ pitching prowess was on display early and often against Slammers. Louis Bussard earned the starting gig, pitching the first two frames. Bussard struck out two, allowing just one base runner and even then he wouldn’t advance any further than second base. “Today was a lot of just trusting my defense,” said Bussard. “It’s always fun to pitch in front of them because you always know they have your back. Even if you pipe one down the middle, you know they’ll make the play.” While Dallas was busy keeping Slammers quiet in the first two innings, Slammers returned in the favor in the bottom half of frames. Both teams changed pitchers midway through the contest, but through three full innings of baseball, neither team mustered a run. “We struggled a little making adjustments with the pitcher,” said Bergman. “By the time we made an adjustment, they made a pitching change. I expect these guys to be ready tomorrow.” Things looked promising for the Tigers in the bottom of the fourth inning. An error let J.T. Cienega climb aboard with only one out. A passed ball and a stolen base later, Cienega was standing on third, letting Trent Bower drive him home with a sacrifice ground out. Beginning in the fifth inning, coach Bergman tabbed Brady Gray, who came on in relief for Sawyer Farr. Gray continued the job Bussard and Farr had laid the groundwork for in the four innings prior. All the while, it was Caleb Hoover captaining each pitcher through the combined shutout. “All those guys are great,” said Hoover. “They know how to throw strikes. All I really have to do is catch the ball when they put it in the right place.” A pair of errors in the fifth inning created an opportunity for some insurance with Will Yeary at the dish. Yeary promptly delivered with a RBI single, scoring Aj Miera, pushing Dallas’ lead to two. Yeary would come around to score along with Brayden Bergman, giving the Tigers a 4-0 advantage headed to the final inning. Though Slammers managed to move a runner to third base for the first time during the contest, Gray stood his ground, claiming the final out with a grounder to second and giving his team its second victory of the afternoon, 4-0, over Slammers. “I happen to think we have a really great team,” said Hoover. “We hit the ball well and collectively have a great defense. We just need to continue to play as a team and we’ll do just fine.” The Tigers get one more pool play match up on Thursday against the El Monte Dukes before bracket play begins. “We’re in a great spot,” Bergman said. “In a double elimination tournament like this with so much great talent, having good pitching later in the week is always key. Our guys did a great job out there and I’m confident we’ll have plenty left in the tank come bracket play.” While Louis Bussard agrees with his coach’s assessment, he had a few other keys to victory this week. “We just need to have fun and go to bed at a decent hour.” After a two-week layoff, it made sense that the 11u Kansas City Dirt Dogs might have some difficulties getting started Wednesday at the 11u Triple Crown World Series in Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Strangely, the squad played much better in their first contest, a 7-0 victory over the Saddleback Cowboys (CA), than it did in the nightcap. But both games were salted away as victories, with the Dogs cleaning up against the CC Bruins (CO), 10-4, at Ski Town South field. In Game 2, the Dirt Dogs had to come back from behind twice, but with relief pitchers Collin Dobson and Grant Hollister throwing four strong innings in support, the offense broke loose, scoring seven runs total in the fourth and fifth innings. The team will look for a pool play sweep Thursday, taking on the Houston Pioneers early in the morning. “We thought we’d come out and struggle a little bit. We played really good that first game, then we kind of lost our focus and concentration,” said Dirt Dogs coach Jason Moss. “We had some mental mistakes, but overall the boys battled. Our offense overcame our defense there in that last one.” A single by KC’s Mason Ward drove in Aiden Morarity in the second inning to tie the game at 3-all; Bryce Vance singled, stole a base and scored on an error for the Bruins to put them back up, 4-3, in the third inning. In the top of the fourth, Dobson scored on an error to tie it up again, and a bit later Evan Damario came to the plate with two on and two out. He muscled a single just out of reach of the shortstop to bring in both runs, and the Dogs had a lead they would not surrender. “I was just trying to get it on the ground and get the runners in. It felt good, though,” Damario said. “I think we played really good that first game, maybe OK the second game, but a win is a win.” “I was happy for him – he was 0-for-4 at that point and had been struggling. He put together a good at-bat,” Moss said. “He let a 2-0 pitch go right down the middle, but the 2-1 pitch he got in the hole. That was a big hit, and at that point the boys took a deep breath and relaxed.” Dobson also had two hits, including a double that drove in a run in the fifth, to go with two runs, a stolen base and a RBI. That was a nice tonic, as he hit into a double play in the first inning. “I didn’t like the double play, but like (YouTube comedian) Domingo Ayala says, you’ve got to get out of your head sometimes,” Dobson said with a smile. “You can’t be a selfish player – you need to be a team player.” Morarity drove in three runs for the Dogs; Caden Carter scored twice, and Hollister had two hits and scored two runs. For the Bruins, Vance reach ed base twice and scored two runs, Miles DeBolt had a double and two RBI, and Wyatt Rudder singled and drove in a run. |