10U Kings Win Legends Top 10 Tournament!
Triple Crown Kings win Legends 10U Tourney Against the odds, this group of just nine 10-year-old ball players embarked on their first game together as a team, having had just one hour-long outdoor practice session in 2017. They took the the field at 7:00 am to warm up for their 8:00 am game and got rolling early. After some shaky defense to start, the Kings settled down and played solid baseball against a worthy opponent in the Jr. Spinners in game one. The offense was sparked by consummate lead off hitter, Yugo Murata, who led the early assault with a single to center, and buoyed by a first inning home run by Kaidan Sheehan, who led the team with 8 hits on the day. Elias Brendel mashed his way through the day from the beginning as well. And, Ford McCarthy added an opposite field laser that went for a ground rule double en route to a game one 8-7 victory. The pitching of Yugo Murata was invaluable as he dealt strike after strike over four innings to get the save, while Kaidan Sheehan picked up the first W for the Kings with his two-inning debut. Game two vs. the Mizuno Beantown Bombers was highlighted by an epic pitching debut from Armanis Romero, who 1-hit the opposition over four innings. Armanis yielded just one walk en route to the 10-0 mercy victory! The team hit and fielded well in game two. The top of the order continued to produce at the plate while others like Armanis Romero and Alex Soto began to find their strokes at the dish as well. All the while, Jae Lacey quietly stalked pitchers at bat after at bat delivering more solid contact with each opportunity. And, Owen Manning, who did yeoman's work by catching Two Games for the Kings, added one of his two sharply hit doubles on the day. Game three vs. the Mass Hurricanes was led by a gutsy Ford McCarthy on the bump. Ford took a rocket come-backer off his pitching hand in the second inning. He was down, and refused to be out. Ford willed himself back to the bump and pitched four tremendous innings for the Kings, earning his first AAU W and paving the way for his team to advance to the championship. Evan Feldman debuted in relief and appeared incapable of missing the strike zone as he pumped strike after strike to the opposing hitters. When the young gun tired, Elias Brendel came in with his gun blazing and locked down the W with his first save. The Kings' offense continued its pace, posting another 9 runs in a 9-5 win. Alex Soto and Jae Lacey broke out with their first hits of the season along the way. The championship game featured the Kings' fearsome nine against the battle tested and high powered Southern Maine River Rats, and their number one seed. Elias Brendel took the ball to start the game and kept his team in it for the first two innings before handing the ball to Alex Soto. After falling behind, 3-0, and sparked by teammate Alex's strength and determination, having left practice with a fever the night before, the offense re-awoke behind a deep drive to left center by Kaidan Sheehan, another double by Ford McCarthy and a frozen rope from Elias Brendel to even the score. The boys continued to produce through the order with two outs and emerged with a lead that Alex Soto was determined to protect. Alex masterfully, pounded the strike zone over four shutout innings against an offense that has already scored 19 runs in one game earlier in the day! The Kings made plays and added to their lead with more offense from Romero, Lacey, Manning and Feldman, and hoisted the big trophy after an 8-4 win, and a long, long, day of baseball fun.
