10U PCYBL Pirates win Ripken consolation round in Maryland, going 3-2 on MLB replica playing fields
July 24, 2024 at 8:35 p.m.
The 10U Port Chester Youth Baseball League Pirates won the consolation bracket while going 3-2 in the White Oak Knockout Ripken Experience last Thursday through Sunday (7/18/21) in Aberdeen, Md., but the real consolation came from the dramatic way they won their last game as well as the memories from the names of the major league field facsimiles they played on.
They saved the best for last.
Best against Worcester
In their tournament finale, they beat Worcester, Mass., 8-6 at Fenway Park. But it was the way they won that was unforgettable.
They blew an early 5-0 lead and were trailing 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth when Dylan Rivera tripled to dead centerfield with the bases loaded to clear the bases and give the Pirates an 8-6 lead.
And then things got even better because closer LJ Sherwood came in and struck out three batters on nine pitches, something that has only happened 114 times in Major League Baseball history.
The fact that it happened in the shadow of the Green Monster at the Fenway replica made it all the more memorable.
Beginnings and endings
It was a fitting ending to a story that began with a Pirates tournament opening 15-3 win against a local Maryland team while playing on a replica of PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, an auspicious moment that didn't last too long because they lost their next game 6-5 at Memorial Park, an old Baltimore Orioles stadium. They then lost to a strong Pennsylvania team at Fenway, dropping them to 1-2 in pool play, a record that dropped them into the consolation round where they beat a New Jersey team 10-6 at the Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field replica and then won their finale against Worcester.
So the Pirates wound up losing a deuce but winning a lot of memorable moments even when things went wrong.
Noah Klauck, Robert Berlingo, Charlie Budkins, Myles DeBari and Dylan Rivera walked away with Player of the Game pins for the Pirates.
Budkins won his pin for going two for three and three for three with three RBIs in games two and three. Klauck went one for two with an RBI and run scored in game two. And Berlingo went two for three with two RBIs in game three while Lovallo went one for three with three RBIs in that game. And while they didn't get Player of the Game pins, the Sherwood brothers got the tournament off on the right foot for the Pirates with Daniel going three for three while giving up just one hit in three innings and striking out four batters while LJ went two for three with three RBIs and Gabe Rieke hit an inside the park home run.
GHVBL playoffs on tap
They hope to get back to their winning ways in the opening game of the Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League playoffs Saturday (7/27) back home at Lyon Park against an as yet unnamed opponent at a time to be determined after press time. The single elimination tournament will play out over four rounds. As the second seed, the local Pirates will play all their games at home. They hope to make it out of the four one-and-done playoff rounds to play in the GHVBL championship next Sunday (8/4) in Danbury, Conn.
Comments:
You must login to comment.